Watch Us Run
by xxxdolphinmelodyxxx
Summary: Part 2 of the Doctor & Clara's story: With mysteries everywhere they go, the Doctor and Clara attempt to try and find the answers. The biggest mystery is Bronwin. The Doctor has his suspicions about her which seem to be confirmed, but that only creates more questions rather than answers. Then there's the Darkness which continues to haunt Clara's dreams. How is it connected to them?
1. Runaway TARDIS

**A/N: If you haven't read Part 1: 'I Just Know Who', I would recommend you read it before continuing. You can find the link on my profile page.**

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Chapter 1: Runaway TARDIS

"Doctor!" Clara cried once again, "Doctor!"

She was backed up against a cold metal door, her heart beating so rapidly that she could feel it at the back of her throat. After a fortnight of being stuck in the TARDIS in constant search of Bronwin, she had been ultimately relieved when the Doctor had revealed to her that they were going somewhere… their first adventure since their wedding. However, now that she found herself pinned against the locked door due to a deadly energy field slowly approaching her, she deeply regretted leaving the safety of the TARDIS that morning.

"Doctor!" she called, "Doctor please! Let me out!"

No matter how scared she felt, she knew he would rescue her. He always did. However, he was leaving that particular rescue very late…

The blood-red energy field, which was highly charged, was only metres away. She could feel its heat reaching for her skin, making her feel even warmer than she already did. The sound of it sizzling pulsed through her eardrums and increased her fear of it with every inch closer it got.

She knew full well the danger of that beam. She'd already seen its deadly nature earlier that day when a 'computer glitch' caused it to activate. The beam, usually used to sterilise the building, activated and trapped the alien Mayor and his 17-year-old son in the Conference Room. All that was left when she, the Doctor and the guards managed to override the lock was the smell of their burnt flesh. There were no traces of anything else, no bodies, no clothing, nothing.

It originally appeared to be a perfectly innocent malfunction. However, after a quick investigation, she and the Doctor had discovered that it wasn't actually an accident, it had been deliberate. Maybe that knowledge was why she found herself in a similar situation…

"Doctor!" she yelled.

She had seconds, if that and if she was honest, the knot in her stomach was tightening. Where was he?!

"Doctor…" she trailed off.

Suddenly after what felt like an eternity, the locked door she was leant on swiftly opened and a pair of very familiar hands pulled her out of harm's way. She was very lucky as just as she was moved away, the beam reached the area she had just been standing in.

Clara breathed out a sigh of relief as soon as her eyes fell onto her husband. She immediately wrapped her hands around his neck while her heartbeat began to normalise. The Doctor, who could feel her heart racing, wrapped his arms around her and began to rub her back in attempt to comfort her.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" she cried, "That was way too close…"

The Doctor pulled away and smiled weakly down at her.

"I promised I'd never let anything hurt you." he reminded her.

Clara nodded slightly. "I know." she agreed, "But still…"

"Um… Doctor?" piped up a man who was stood behind him.

The Doctor and Clara both turned to face him, only for their eyes to be drawn to another sterilisation beam approaching them from the other end of the corridor. The only difference between that one and the one Clara had just faced was the speed. Clara's beam remained at a slow constant however, that one appeared to be speeding up… rather quickly too.

"Oh, come on!" Clara cried, "Give me a break!"

The Doctor slowly ushered the two of them behind him, not taking his eyes off the approaching beam.

"Run!" he ordered.

x-[]-x

Clara flopped down on the sofa while the Doctor exchanged his final goodbyes with the newly elected Mayor. She for one was more than glad to be leaving that particular planet. Was it so hard to go somewhere where danger didn't find them?

"Bye!" the Doctor called from the doorway before fully entering the TARDIS and closing the door behind him.

He then glided over to the console and flew the TARDIS back into the Time Vortex. He too couldn't deny that he was rather glad to leave.

He sighed as his ship stabilised in the vortex before looking over at Clara. Instead of watching like she usually did, her eyes were lightly closed and her hand was slowly rubbing her right temple.

He frowned slightly and carefully made his way over, capturing her attention enough to make her open her eyes.

"You alright?" he asked.

She nodded slightly. "Yeah." she confirmed, "But I'm cream crackered."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow slightly as he attempted to understand her.

"Nope… still no good with the Cockney slang." he admitted as he sat down next to her.

Clara laughed slighted. "Tired." she translated, "I'm tired."

The Doctor put his arm around her and allowed her to lean her slightly throbbing head on his chest. He proceeded to kiss the top her hair before leaning back on the chair while still allowing her to lean on him.

"You seem to be that quite often." he pointed out.

Clara sighed and frowned slightly. "What d'ya mean?" she asked.

"Tired." he answered, "You seem to get tired much more often that you used too."

Clara shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Maybe its the stress of bein' married to you." she joked.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "I'm not sure whether I should be offended or not." he confessed.

Clara laughed to herself. "I'm not sayin' anythin'." she said.

The Doctor smiled softly and allowed her to snuggle down into his embrace. He had noticed a major difference in her since their marriage a fortnight beforehand. Before, she had managed to go hours and hours without appearing to be that tired but for some reason ever since the wedding, she appeared to be physically drained even after minor outings. He'd have been lying if he said he wasn't slightly concerned but that's how most husbands were when it came to their wives, right?

x-[]-x

Clara slept peacefully in his arms for about twenty minutes before waking up. It didn't really surprise the Doctor as the temperature of the control room wasn't the most pleasant. It was then that the Doctor insisted she go to bed, which to his surprise, she didn't object too. She must have felt exceptionally tired if she was willing to go to bed early without any objections.

The Doctor used his free time wisely, fixing and upgrading parts of the TARDIS he had forgotten existed. It had been a long time since he had meddled with his TARDIS and he actually couldn't remember a time he had in the new module… no wonder he was struggling to remember what went where.

If he was completely honest, he'd given up his search for Bronwin. He figured that when the time came, she'd find them… or at very least the TARDIS would drag them to her.

As he sat on the bottom step, trying to fit two pieces of apparatus which clearly didn't fit together, he heard the monitor above his head suddenly beep.

He frowned and looked up at it. When it sounded again, his curiosity got the better of him which resulted in him abandoning his present task and making his way over to the screen.

The screen itself was completely black. The only thing which actually showed him it was still turned on and working were the markings at the bottom.

"What…?" he muttered in disbelief.

If what he was seeing on the screen was correct, there was nothing out there, no stars, no planets, no nothing.

He began to mess with the button that controlled the screen. Surely what was being displayed was incorrect…

"_Darkness!" _something hissed, not from a specific direction.

His attention immediately resulted in his neck snapping up towards the screen. His frown was suddenly engraved onto his face but was soon overlooked as a millisecond later; the TARDIS stalled in mid-flight and sent him violently flying into the console. It was almost as if it had crashed against some sort of wall or barrier. He didn't even have time to glance back up at the screen when he heard the TARDIS' engines automatically rev up and materialise away from its previous destination. Whatever it had been, the TARDIS certainly hadn't liked it.

The Doctor subconsciously began to stroke part of the console as the ship began to materialise and stabilise in normal space. The monitor itself looked normal once again, displaying every star formation in the area.

The Doctor shook his head slightly. "What was all that about?" he questioned aloud.

The engines began to hum, almost as if they were attempting to answer him. They sounded normal once again which led him to believe that everything was now okay. However, the entire incident had worried him. What could have been so bad that the TARDIS had actually overpowered its usual command circuits and transported itself away?

Clara entered the control room moments later. She was wrapped in her dressing gown, still looking quite tired but much more alert than before.

"What the 'ell just 'appened? One minute I was in bed, the next I was on floor…" she moaned, "Did you get too close to a space station again?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes but let his smile form.

"That only happens once, dear." he replied with a wink.

Clara smiled softly and rubbed her right eye as she slowly travelled down the flight of stairs.

"So what 'appened?" she queried.

"I don't know." confessed the Doctor, "But the TARDIS materialised herself away from… whatever it was."

Clara laughed to herself. "Ha! A runaway TARDIS." she stated as she patted part of the console, "Only you could have a ship that throws tantrums _and _does runners."

The Doctor grinned and rubbed the console once again.

"I wouldn't have her any other way." he admitted.

Clara sighed. "You know, if she were humanoid, I'd lose ya to 'er." she told him.

The Doctor smiled slightly as he took her hand.

"Are you jealous of a _machine_?" he asked.

Clara rolled her eyes. "Course not." she guaranteed, "But if she were a real person… maybe."

The Doctor tutted and shook his head. "You're my wife." he reminded her with a smile, "I'm wouldn't leave you for a super-duper time machine, all be it a very brilliant super-duper time machine…"

Clara laughed softly. "Oh, shut up!" she cried before clasping her hands around his neck.

Within the next few seconds, the pair of them found their lips glued to one another's. Clara, who had initially been in control, soon found herself overpowered as the Doctor's hands found their way around her waist. The kiss deepened within moments and left them both tasting each others lips, hungry for more.

Clara soon found herself backed up against the console as the Doctor's hands gripped around her hips. His lips left hers not long after but they still remained against her skin, leaving a trail of kisses as he made his way down to her neck. Clara moaned in delight as he varied between both gentle kissing and lustful nibbling at her neck.

"Doctor…" she whispered, slightly out of breath.

The Doctor smiled into her neck before making his way along her collarbone.

It was strange. He had always found that kind of behaviour quite awkward to think about, let alone perform. He had once referred to it as all 'human-y, private stuff', which to be fair it was… private at the very least. As for the 'human-y' aspect, that was certainly inaccurate.

When he was with Clara, it definitely didn't seem so alien anymore. It was simply an act of love, one he loved to share with her.

Clara smiled softly after he slowly pulled away her neck. He looked down at her, his glistening eyes making her heart leap in her chest. As their noses touched, he could feel her panting slightly, clearly eager to continue. He could feel her hot breath on his neck as he tightened his grip around her waist.

No dialogue was exchanged yet they both shared the same line of thought. Without separating too much, they slowly began to head in the only direction they both could focus on… their bedroom.


	2. A Lonely Little Girl

Chapter 2: A Lonely Little Girl

It was strange, never before had she disliked the smell of her beloved soufflés as they cooked. Usually, the smell of the sugar made her stomach flutter with delight but not that time. It was true that her stomach was fluttering so to speak, but it certainly wasn't in a good way. To be honest, she felt as if she were going to be sick. All the added sugar in the dish baking in the oven just amplified the feeling.

She actually couldn't express her relief when the oven pinged so she could take it out. Yes, when she opened the door the smell continued to make her stomach turn, but she figured that the quicker she took it out, the quicker she could leave the kitchen and get away from the entire aroma.

It took her less than a minute to dump the rather well-cooked dish on the side before she exited the kitchen and swiftly closed the door behind her. She then hastily dashed down to the control room. The further away she got from the kitchen, hopefully the better she would feel.

Her sudden haste as she entered the control room didn't go unnoticed by her husband.

"Where's the fire?" queried the Doctor.

Clara, who was mentally in a world of her own, failed to hear what he said. She had heard him speak but his words were just noise.

"What…?" she asked.

The Doctor smiled slightly. "I said 'where's the fire'?" he repeated.

Clara frowned slightly. It took her a few moments to understand what he was actually saying.

"Oh… right." she realised, "Nowhere."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and let his smile expand.

"Bit slow this morning, aren't we?" he stated with a wink.

Clara smiled weakly and nodded. "Suppose so." she replied as she slumped down on the sofa.

The Doctor had been reluctant to mention the fact he could see she didn't seem like herself, however after a few moments of silence, he couldn't stop himself.

"Clara, what's wrong?" he enquired.

Clara looked up at him and shook her head. "Nothin'." she confirmed, "Honestly."

The Doctor sighed and sat on the edge of the seat next to her. She looked up at him and smiled softly, desperately trying to prove she was okay. However, the fact that she was quiet and looked rather pale confirmed to him that it was a lie.

"Really?" he queried, the tone of his voice haunting her mind.

She hated lying to him but she didn't like burdening him with her problems. Besides, she was only feeling nauseous, that wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

x-[]-x

The little girl landed somewhere in the 27th Century. From the looks of it, it was some sort of space station that looked human in design. It hadn't been the first time she had ever transported however; it had been the first time she had ever had to do it without her mother. At the innocent age of 10, she now found herself having to face the universe alone, preparing for the days to come, the days when her life would be the most important thing in the entire universe.

Although she knew she was going to have some amazing adventures in her near future, she knew that she was also going to face some exceptionally hard days. Her mother had told her she had to be brave but that was easier said than done, especially as she was now completely alone. She knew that one day she'd be reunited with her again… and her father. She hadn't seen him since she was six months old. Most people wouldn't have believed that she would be able to remember him as she had been so young but then again, she wasn't an ordinary little girl. She was rather excited at the fact she would meet him soon but just like everything else in her crazy, mixed-up life, it wasn't that simple…

As she wandered the endless floor of the station, weaving between masses of people dashing to and from, she remembered back to her home, the home she wouldn't be able to return to ever again.

She continued to wander aimlessly across a large open section of the station until she reached a large window which overlooked the Taharra Nebula. However, none of that mattered to her.

She slowly sat down on a cold metal bench and watched a handful of small shuttles race across the colourful backdrop of the nebula. As she sat there, her hand gripped around a small silver love heart locket around her neck. That was the only thing she had left of her mother, that and her memories.

Silently she sat there watching many people pass her without a second thought. She had no idea why she had actually ended up on the station but she couldn't leave yet, she hadn't got the strength too. Time seemed to fly past yet she remained on the bench. She had absolutely no idea where to go next. She was well and truly alone and completely out of her comfort zone. She had no home, no family, no nothing…

"What do ya mean we're lost?" a voice queried someone behind her.

Through the course of the day she had heard many voices. Most of them seemed to fade into a chorus of noise but that particular one stood out. It took her seconds to turn her head and face the direction it came from.

"I mean we're lost… as in 'I don't know our current position in relation to the TARDIS'_._" a man told the woman who had questioned him.

The little girl gulped when she caught glimpses of their faces. She knew the woman as easily as she knew the back of her hand as for the man; she had a strong feeling she knew who he was too…

She watched the man and woman intensely but did her best to avoid attracting their attention. She smiled slightly as she saw the woman's face once again. She was just as pretty as she remembered.

Clara sighed and rubbed her forehead while her other hand was supporting her hip. All day she'd had a nagging pain in her side which was gradually increasing and now after finally begging to go back to the TARDIS, they were lost in the market section of a very stuffy space station.

"So 'ow do we find it?" she questioned.

The Doctor shook his head slightly. Although he was concerned about not knowing the location of his TARDIS, his more immediate attention was directed at their surroundings. He couldn't explain it but he had the strangest feeling that they were being watched.

"Not sure…" he admitted, "Just keep looking."

Clara rolled her eyes and sighed. "Brilliant…" she muttered.

They both looked around at the crowded space station. The only reason they were there was so the Doctor could obtain a new gravity panel after one in the control room had malfunctioned and left Clara stuck floating for almost half an hour. She had to admit that she had found it rather fun at first but after a few minutes the moment passed and she discovered that drifting through the room only increased her feeling of nausea.

The young girl continued to watch the two people. She had noticed that the man dressed in the long brown coat and ridiculous bowtie had begun to look around. It wouldn't be long until he caught her staring if she continued but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't take her eyes off them.

A moment later he turned to face her. When his eyes locked onto hers, she quickly turned away and ducked, desperately hoping he would just forget it and leave. Despite her desire to speak to him, she knew she couldn't. It wasn't the right time…

The Doctor shook his head slightly and attempted to ignore the feeling. He had always hated crowded space stations.

"Well, come on." he told Clara, "Let's try this way."

He began to head away from the open section, soon followed by Clara.

The little girl slowly peeped over the chair as they headed away. Part of her wanted nothing more than to follow them but she knew that it wasn't possible. She knew that no matter how hard it was, she had to do what her mother said and be brave. Her future was already set in stone and although she didn't know what to expect, she knew it was important. She had prepared to leave her Mum for years and go it alone. She hadn't wanted to but she knew it was her duty. Even with all the stories her mother had told her one day would come true, she had never expected it to be such a lonely part of her life. Hopefully it would all be worth it…

x-[]-x

The Doctor couldn't get the little girl off his mind as he fitted the new gravity panel. Although he had only seen her for a split second, the memory of her was strongly on his mind. She had only looked around ten years old, maybe not even that. However, her eyes looked heavy and full of sadness. If it weren't for the fact that she had seemed so scared for him to see her, he would have gone over to see of she was okay. Part of him still wished he had. Never before had he ever seen a child so afraid, upset and alone all at once…

The thing about her which haunted him the most was her eyes. They looked so young yet full of knowledge and responsibility no child should have to worry about. However, the thing which worried him the most was that he felt drawn to her. There was something, he didn't know what, but there was something pulling him to her. Why? He didn't even know who she was. Then again, that didn't mean that she didn't know him. For all he knew, she could have been Abby or a younger version of Emma. After all, he still didn't know who they were so it was possible…

"Is it safe?" Clara asked him, making his attention return back to the control room.

The Doctor looked up to see her stood in the doorway. He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah." he confirmed as he used his sonic screwdriver to integrate the panel into the floor, "Gravity's back to normal."

Clara smiled softly and made her way down to him. He still could see the hint of paleness on her face but he neglected to mention it as he wasn't willing to start an argument. He was still knelt on the floor and was about to stand up when Clara wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. He smiled slightly and looked around at her.

"Yes?" he asked softly.

Clara smiled weakly and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Can we go somewhere, like outside?" she questioned, "No space stations or spaceships or anything like that?"

The Doctor nodded and leant over to kiss her cheek.

"Yeah sure." he confirmed.

"No danger either." she requested.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "You know I can't promise that." he reminded her.

"Try." she demanded.


	3. Cracked

Chapter 3: Cracked

Clara took a deep breath as she stepped out of the TARDIS. She had never been one for loving the outdoors but for some reason she just wanted to get away from confining buildings and the vacuum of space and venture out into the fresh air.

The Doctor exited the TARDIS after her and closed the door behind him. He smiled softly at the sight of Clara enjoying the feeling of the sunbeams dancing along her skin. It took her a minute but once she'd let herself enjoy the moment, she looked up at him at him. He couldn't hide his happiness of seeing her so content.

"I needed this." she confessed.

The Doctor laughed slightly before interlocking his fingers between hers.

"I know." he admitted, "Come on."

They both began to walk away from the TARDIS across the light green grass.

They were in some sort of park which was home to many types of birds which looked oddly like birds back on Earth. The only noticeable differences were the colours of their feathers. Back home in London, it was common for Clara to see brown or black feathered birds flying over her however, the birds flying around her on that planet were bright yellow, red and blue. It was odd but didn't look strange as the funny shaped buildings which could be seen just down the road were just as brightly coloured.

"So where are we?" queried Clara.

"The planet Bellatrix." replied the Doctor, "This is the… third, no fourth planet in the Orionis System."

Clara smiled and took yet another deep breath. "What's that smell?" she questioned.

The Doctor smiled and squatted in order to pull some of the grass out of the ground. He proceeded to stand back up and let Clara smell the grass in his hand.

"Mint grass." he stated with a smile.

Clara laughed slightly and inhaled the scent.

"Oh, I love the smell of fresh mint." she disclosed, "My Mum used to grow it in the garden when I was little. She used it to make 'er own Mint Jelly. I couldn't stand the stuff but I loved the smell of it."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and smiled as he chucked it back to the ground.

"I never imagined ya could get like… flavoured grass, if ya know what I mean." she said.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah you can." confirmed the Doctor, "All sorts."

Clara tilted her head to the side slightly as they continued to walk.

"Can you get apple grass?" she asked.

The Doctor frowned slightly but continued to smile. "Yeah." he responded, "Why?"

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "Just wonderin'." she answered, "I just… really fancy an apple."

The Doctor laughed to himself. "Okay…" he understood, "Let's get to the town and I'll see if I can find you one, deal?"

Clara nodded. "Deal." she settled.

The continued to walk towards the more populated part of the town just down the road. However as they walked, the both hit something… really weird. Whatever it was, it wasn't visible to the naked eye but they both passed through it within a split second.

It was a bizarre feeling and it made Clara's skin tingle momentarily. It was almost as if they were walking through some sort of barrier of light.

When they reached the other side, they both paused and looked back at where they had just come from.

"What the 'ell was that?!" cried Clara.

The Doctor's smile suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a frown. He was about to answer her when he realised that their entire surroundings had changed. He quickly looked around and noticed that the once brightly coloured buildings were now completely dull and colourless. Instead of being bright shades of yellows and red, they were all now dull greys and blacks. The population of the town had suddenly decreased and most of all, the grass they were walking on was now a light grey, not green.

Clara also noticed the changes and frowned. However, her confusion soon faded as a new smell caught her attention.

She moaned softly as she felt her stomach begin the turn slightly. The Doctor turned around and frowned when he saw her holding her hand against her abdomen.

"Clara?" he questioned.

Clara gulped as she attempted to block out the smell. The Doctor grew more and more concerned and made his way over to her. He held his hand against her cheek and stroked it slightly.

"What's wrong?" he enquired softly.

Clara moaned once again. "That smell." she responded.

The Doctor frowned slightly and began to smell their new environment. It had certainly changed from the mint but it didn't smell bad.

"It smells like… yeast maybe…?" he stated.

Clara exhaled deeply. "Yeah probably." she agreed with a false smile, "It just makin' me feel a bit sick…"

The Doctor smiled weakly. "Let's get back the TARDIS." he suggested, "I'm sure there'll be something in the Sick Bay to cure that."

Clara nodded as the Doctor wrapped his arm around her waist and began to guide her back. However he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw that the TARDIS wasn't in the location it had just been.

"What?!" he cried.

He swiftly pulled away from Clara and headed back the way they had come.

"Doctor?" she questioned weakly.

Despite her call, the Doctor failed to stop and he continued on his way towards the grassed area where the TARDIS had been parked. Clara's eyes widened when he suddenly walked through what appeared to be a gel-like barrier and disappeared. She could still clearly see the newly changed grassed area they had landed the TARDIS on but neither it nor the Doctor could be seen.

"Doctor!" she exclaimed.

She advanced forward, much too quickly than her already unsettled stomach could handle. She whined slightly as it turned and had to let it settle before she dared to move again. The yeast-like smell was still filling her nose and although she did her best to ignore it, the smell was still making her insides churn.

Once she reached the point where the Doctor had disappeared, she held her finger up and poked forward. She hadn't expected anything to happen so she was rather surprised when she saw the entire area begin to ripple, almost like a stone dropped in water.

She was about to poke it again when the Doctor's head suddenly appeared from nowhere, making her jump out of her skin. He came all the way through the barrier and smiled weakly.

"Sorry…" he apologised weakly, "Come on, the TARDIS is back through here."

He once again wrapped his arm around her waist and walked along with her through the barrier and back to the original part of the planet where they had landed. The colours were once again bright and cheerful and the smell was also the fresh mint one that it had been before passing through the barrier.

Clara sighed and let her nose fill with that preferred aroma. Anything she could do to overpower the other one, she did gratefully.

"That better?" queried the Doctor.

Clara nodded. "Yeah…" she whispered, "Does that offer to go back to the TARDIS still stand?"

The Doctor nodded. "Course it does." he confirmed.

Clara smiled weakly. "Good." she stated.

x-[]-x

The Doctor would have been lying is he said he wasn't concerned about his wife but ever since returning back to the TARDIS, the colour had slowly begun to return to her cheeks. In order to give her some space the Doctor had let himself become occupied with finding out what had just occurred on the planet.

Meanwhile, Clara was sitting on the edge of her bed and going through all the possibilities which could have accounted for her nausea. She had never felt so bad after smelling anything before. She had certainly disliked smells in the past but never had any made her feel so ill before.

As she sat there, her mind went over every possibility she could think of. Maybe it was some type of space flu or cold, hopefully nothing too serious. Another possibility that had occurred to her definitely scared her. However she couldn't see how it was possible… Despite trying to think of other valid reasons, her mind always returned back to the same one. Surely it wasn't possible… However as she went over it again and again, something dawned on her…

"The wedding night…" she whispered to herself in realisation.

When she thought about it, it had been just under a month ago… Maybe it was possible…

"What about it?" the Doctor queried from out of nowhere.

Clara jumped slightly and turned to see him standing in the doorway.

"How… 'ow long ya been standin' there?" she questioned.

"Not long." the Doctor confirmed as he entered the room, "You okay now?"

Clara nodded slightly. "Yeah." she confirmed with a soft smile, "Much better thanks."

The Doctor sighed and sat down next to her on the bed. He wasn't exactly sure how to engage in conversation. Should he risk asking her how she felt and end up causing an argument or should he just wait until she was ready to talk?

"So," Clara began, "What's up with that planet?"

The Doctor smiled weakly. "It appears to have been fractured by a chrono-kinetic anomaly." he explained.

Clara frowned. "And what's that?" she queried.

"Some kind of power surge has… fractured the planet into different time periods. Some are in its past, some in its present and some in its future." he explained, "Those gel-like barriers things are cracks…"

Clara nodded. "Okay…" she attempted to understand, "I'm completely lost."

The Doctor smiled weakly. "It doesn't really matter." he told her.

"Well, what caused it?" asked Clara, "Hasn't it got to be fixed?"

"Um… I don't know, and yes." the Doctor answered, "But as I don't know what caused it, I can't fix it."

"Well shouldn't we go and find out?" enquired Clara.

The Doctor shook his head slightly. "Not until you're alright." he told her.

"Doctor I'm fine!" she promised.

The Doctor sighed. "You're lying to me…" he whispered, "Clara, I know you to well."

"I'm not lying." Clara guaranteed.

"Swear it to me." he pleaded as he looked deep into her eyes, "Swear it to me on something important."

Clara sighed and shook her head slightly. She could see the pain in his eyes, a kind of pain which made her heart drop. He truly cared for her and she could see he was worried. Why couldn't he understand that there were some things she didn't want him to be burdened with?

"Doctor, I promise…" she whispered, her desperation slowly breaking through into her voice.

The Doctor gulped slightly. The fact that she couldn't do it only proved to him initial suspicions.

"Now I know there's something wrong." he stated.

Clara shook her head. "Doctor…" she begged.

Her words were cut off as all of a sudden as the TARDIS suddenly jolted and threw them both to the floor. Beams of charged light lit the room up as the TARDIS shook them around the room like rag dolls.

Clara managed to grip onto the foot of the bed. As she held on, she closed her eyes and hoped that the shaking would stop soon. It took a few more moments before the shaking ceased. Clara was more than relieved and when she finally opened her eyes, she saw the room was in almost total darkness. The only light source was coming from the gap underneath the door.

When Clara got her bearings back, she slowly pushed herself off the floor. Her eyes were suddenly drawn to a mural on the wall which was being illuminated by the light from under the door.

"What…?" she whispered.

She squinted slightly and tried to see what it was. Once her eyes had adjusted to the darkened room she recognised the circular patterns as Gallifreyan symbols. Strange… she would have sworn they hadn't been there before…

Her more immediate attention then turned to the vacant room. Seconds before the Doctor had been right next to her but now there was no sign of him.

"Doctor…?" she called, "Doctor?!"


	4. Fractured

Chapter 4: Fractured

"Doctor?" Clara futilely called once again.

She slowly ventured towards the door and opened it. Due to the light, she had to look away for a moment in order to let her eyes adjust. The light was nothing out of the ordinary but the thing which confused her most was the fact that it was turned on… she had never seen the lights in the corridor turned on before…

"Doctor…?" she questioned.

She cautiously stepped out of the room and slowly began to head down the corridor. She couldn't understand where the Doctor could have gone but due to his lack of response, she decided not to call for again. Whatever had happened, he was gone…

Her initial idea was to head down to the control room as that would be the most probably location of his whereabouts. However as she began to focus on her surroundings, her ears picked up a sound coming from the direction of the kitchen. Cautiously she turned around and glanced down at the door which was ajar.

"Hello?" she called.

She slowly began to head down towards the kitchen. The closer she got, the more she could hear someone humming, a girl.

"Hello?" she called once again.

As she reached the doorway of the kitchen, she slowly peeped around to corner to see a teenage girl preparing what looked like two milkshakes. Odd… she didn't even know the TARDIS had ingredients to make milkshakes.

Clara frowned slightly before standing fully in the doorway. She watched as the girl continued with her business, completely oblivious to her presence. She looked rather familiar with long chocolate-brown hair and deep brown eyes.

It took a few moments before she looked up and saw Clara standing in the doorway. Her smile expanded as soon as she saw her.

"Hey." she greeted, "D'ya want a milkshake?"

Clara's frowned intensified and she cautiously took a step or two into the kitchen, her eyes never leaving the girl who looked about 14 years old.

"Who are you?" questioned Clara.

The girl frowned slightly but her smile remained.

"What d'ya mean 'who am I'?" she queried, "Abby…"

Clara's eyes widened. "You're the girl from the Hylamat Station." she remembered, "What are ya doin' 'ere?"

Abby frowned. "Are you alright?" she asked, "Did ya hit your head when the TARDIS jolted or something?"

Clara shook her head slightly. "I um… I need to go an' find the Doctor…" she told her.

Abby nodded and smiled slightly. "Okay." she said, "Do you want that milkshake, or a coffee or something?"

Clara shook her head. "No." she confirmed.

She then swiftly left the kitchen and dashed down the corridor, passing her still open bedroom door in the process. She couldn't deny it, she was majorly confused. How was that girl on the TARDIS? She looked older than she did when they had met her before but that still didn't explain her presence in the kitchen… What the hell was going on?

Clara continued to head down the corridor at a rather quickened pace. All she wanted was to find the Doctor. However, as she walked down the corridor, she suddenly found herself passing through some sort of gel-barrier, identical to the planet earlier that day.

Clara stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face where it had been. It took her a few moments to register what had happened but when she had; she raised her index finger and poked at the area. Just like before, the entire section rippled all the way from the floor to the ceiling.

"What the hell?!" she cried.

She turned on her heels and looked at the corridor she was about to head down. It had suddenly changed from being brightly lit to the usual darkened glow. However, the temperature was certainly different. Usually it was cool and refreshing but now she found it rather stuffy and unpleasant. Also, the design of the walls had changed. Instead of being the rectangular grey metal, she found herself walking down a bronze coloured corridor which seemed to have coral-type pillars.

On her right further up the corridor, she spotted a soft cornered rectangular door which was half-open. From inside the room she could hear movement. Against her better judgement she began to head towards it, careful not to make too much noise as she walked.

When she reached the door, she knocked four times.

"Hello?" she called.

Suddenly the movement in the room ceased. For a few moments it was silent but once that had occurred, Clara heard footsteps cross the floor and seconds later the door swung open. A mature red-haired woman greeted her with a frown almost as deep as her own.

"Who are you?!" she demanded.

Clara gulped. "Clara." she replied, "Who are you?"

"How did you get in here?" the woman demanded.

"I could ask you the same thing." Clara pointed out.

"Don't ya get smart with me, missy!" the redhead warned, "How did you get in here? Does the Doctor know you're in 'ere?"

Clara frowned. "You know the Doctor?" she quizzed the feisty redhead.

"Yeah." the woman replied bluntly.

Clara shook her head slightly. She had to admit it, she was completely baffled.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Donna." the woman responded.

Clara nodded slightly. "Where's the Doctor?" she questioned.

Donna shrugged her shoulders. "Dunno." she admitted, "Last I saw of him, he was still mourning over Jenny in the control room."

Clara frowned. "Jenny?" she asked.

Donna raised her eyebrow. "His daughter." she explained bluntly, "Why am I telling you this?! How did you get in here? Who are you?"

Clara sighed. "I'm his wife." she replied to the latter.

Donna's frown intensified but her confusion started to surface.

"Whose wife?" she enquired.

"The Doctor's." replied Clara.

Donna sniggered. "Don't be ridiculous!" she objected, "The Doctor isn't married."

Clara really wasn't in the mood to listen to the feisty redhead and not long after she explained she was the Doctor's wife, she zoned out. While Donna continued speaking, Clara tried to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

When she thought about it, that barrier she had passed through was the similar to the one on the planet, maybe even identical. The Doctor had said they were fractures in the planet's history and future. Maybe something was similar to what was happening in the TARDIS… maybe these different sections were from the TARDIS' past and future…

"Do you travel with him?" Clara questioned the woman after a moment.

Donna nodded. "Yeah." she replied, "So if you're his _wife, _why don't you?"

Clara sighed. "I do." she replied, "Just not yet."

Once she had completed that statement, Clara began to leave her company.

"Oi!" cried Donna, "I ain't finished."

Clara shook her head and continued on her way. Any minute now she's probably encounter another barrier and just as expected, she did. When she crossed through it, she found herself in yet another different modelled corridor. Similar to usual it was a grey metal however instead of being the usual rectangular shape, it was hexagonal.

Clara was more than keen not to run into anybody else. Despite the fact that she had the opportunity to meet Doctor past and possibly future companions, all she wanted to do was to fix time on the TARDIS but more than anything she just wanted to find _him. _

She wasn't one hundred percent sure where to look for the Doctor but as he wasn't in his room; the only other likely place was the control room… wherever that was.

"_It's messing with our heads." _she heard a male voice say from down the corridor, _"Run." _

Suddenly, the corridor she was walking in began to light up and Clara found herself in the path of two people running directly towards her. By the time they saw her it was too late and the three of them ended up colliding, Clara being knocked to the floor in the process.

"God, I'm so sorry!" apologised the male.

The woman, another redhead, frowned as the male assisted her off the floor.

"Are you real?" the woman questioned her in a deep Scottish accent before turning to the male, "Is this House?"

The male turned to face the woman before looking back at Clara. She smiled weakly at them before brushing her hair out of her face.

"Who are you?" the Scottish woman asked her.

"Clara." she replied, "You?"

The woman looked back at the male. "Rory?" she asked, clearly scared of something.

Clara looked at the male. She recognised that name from the Doctor's stories. Rory, Rory the Roman, but that meant…

"Amelia Pond." whispered Clara as she looked over at the woman, "You're Amelia Pond?"

The woman gulped and nodded slightly. "You're not real." she whispered, "This is House. He's messing with our heads…"

Clara frowned. "What's 'House'?" she enquired.

Suddenly, the light around them turned a deep green.

"Ah, Amy, Rory..." began a sinister voice which didn't come from a particular direction, "You seem to have a new friend."

Amy gulped and gripped onto Rory's arm.

"She smells different to you two," the voice Clara assumed was 'House' continued, "Like she doesn't belong in this time. What a pity… The woman twice dead, stuck without her _precious_ husband…"

Clara gulped. "W-What are you?" she stuttered.

"Forgive me." started the voice, "I am known as House. I come from such a long way away and you know Clara Oswald, you should be scared of me."

Clara was tempted to ask how he knew who she was but she didn't intend to let her doubts and fears surface.

"Why?" she asked.

"I've killed hundreds of Timelords." it stated, "I could kill him just as easily. Fear me!"

Clara bit her lip and turned to face the other two very frightened people. She saw Rory futilely attempt to comfort Amy while House continued to tantalise with them.

"Anyway enough with the chit-chat." demanded House, "All three of you… Run!"

Amy and Rory didn't hesitate, then again, neither did Clara. They all exchanged glances before departing in opposite directions. Clara ran as far as her legs could carry her and she actually couldn't express her relief when she passed through yet another temporal barrier. Although it changed back to a bronze coloured hallway which led to the direction of the control room, she was more than glad to get away from whatever 'House' was.

She slowly approached the room where the control room was usually found. Although it wasn't the control she was used to, she believed that if the Doctor was anywhere, he would be in there. No matter the design, the control room would still be _his _control room.

"Doctor?" she called as she entered.

She was certain that the room was the control room as the main command module stood proudly in the centre. However, it looked nothing like the one she was used to. Instead of being shades of silver and grey, it was shades of gold, bronze and copper. The walls appeared to be panels with circular bolt on them and the pillars where shaped like coral. Although it looked impressive, Clara certainly preferred her usual one.

She slowly entered and looked around. From where she was stood, she couldn't see any sign of the Doctor.

"Doctor?" she asked once again.

Moments later, a head popped from around the control module. A man then stepped fully into her view and frowned as soon as he saw her.

"What?" he cried.

He was tall and rather skinny, dressed in a dark chocolate-brown pinstriped suit and wearing black glasses which he proceeded to whip off as he advanced towards her.

"Who-Who are you?" he questioned.

Clara's frown deepened as she looked over at him. He looked as if he was in his mid-forties and although she'd never seen him before in her life, she seemed to trust him.

"Clara." she responded, "Where's the Doctor?"

The man raised his eyebrow. "I'm the Doctor." he stated.

Clara's jaw dropped slightly and shook her head in disbelief.

"No you're not…" she whispered.

The man nodded. "Yes I am." he confirmed, "I'm the Doctor."


	5. Doctor Who?

Chapter 5: Doctor Who?

Clara shook her head slightly and laughed softly at the ridiculousness of the possibility that the man in front of her was somehow her husband.

"No, you're not." she argued once again, "You can't be..."

"I am, I promise you." he guaranteed, "I'm the Doctor."

Clara frowned. "Doctor who?" she asked.

The man's face lit up and he began to smile. "Oh, I love it when people say that." he confessed before his face became serious again, "But seriously, who are you?"

"Clara." she repeated, slowly advancing towards him, "You not the Doctor… not _my_ Doctor."

The man smiled weakly. "I am the Doctor." he guaranteed, "As for _your_ Doctor, I don't know. Probably not as you keep saying I'm not."

Clara shook her head in disbelief. "Is it… just a title that's passed on?" she questioned.

The man frowned. "What?" he asked.

"'The Doctor'." replied Clara, "As soon as ya done, does someone else becomes 'The Doctor'?"

That statement in itself confirmed to him that whoever this woman was, she knew him, just not in that regeneration.

"Do you know me?" he queried.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "I know the Doctor." she explained, "I don't know you."

He smiled weakly. "You know me with another face?" he attempted to confirm, "You know a Doctor who looks different to me?"

Clara nodded. "Yeah." she confirmed.

He smiled down at her. "That's me." he confirmed, "The Doctor is always me, but I do have different faces."

Clara frowned. "What?" she asked, "How?"

"Has your Doctor ever told you about regeneration?" he enquired.

"That thing he does when he's dying?" she quizzed.

He nodded. "Yeah." he replied, "Well when that happens, when I regenerate, my face changes."

Clara gulped. She remembered him actually telling her about it before, but that meant that he was the Doctor… he was her husband.

She looked up at him, their eyes meeting properly for the first time.

"Doctor?" she questioned softly.

He smiled down at her. "Hello." he greeted.

Clara broke away from his stare and rubbed her forehead. It was all too much!

"My God…" she cried, her eyes welling up.

The Doctor noticed her close to tears and frowned.

"Are you okay?" he questioned.

Clara shook her head as the dams in her eyes began to rupture.

"This is all too much…" she sobbed, "I-I want _my _Doctor. I'm sorry when I say that but I don't know you… I just want him."

The Doctor could see the pain in her eyes. Although he hardly knew who she was, he felt a very strong feeling of protection over her.

"Well, how did you get here?" he queried.

Clara sighed and fell against the rail. "Did… Did your TARDIS jolt about ten minutes ago like it had been hit by something?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah." he replied, "I couldn't find the reason."

"I think it's some sort of chrono-kinetic anomaly." she told him, "We went to a planet in a similar condition and that's what the Doctor, _my Doctor, _said it was."

The Doctor's eyes widened and he hit his forehead.

"Of course!" he cried, "A chrono-kinetic power surge which had shattered the space-time continuum on the TARDIS! Why didn't I realise that?! I need a bigger head!"

He was soon at the console, letting his fingers dance across the console as he worked. He whipped on his glasses when he managed to display a scan of the TARDIS which showed exactly how it had been fractured into different time periods.

Clara joined him and looked at the screen. "So how do we put it together?" she asked.

The Doctor scratched the top of his head and sighed.

"Well there is the, no that wouldn't work. I suppose I could try, then again it would be better to do linear, who am I kidding, no it wouldn't!" he rambled.

Clara frowned as he continued to debate the best course of action. She had to admit, she was glad _her_ Doctor wasn't like that. There was no doubt in her mind that it wouldn't get extremely annoying.

"However I could do _it." _he told her when he turned and looked down at her.

Clara raised her eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders. "It?" she enquired.

He nodded. "It's a very big _it, _very dangerous."he told her, "One wrong move and the TARDIS will blow up and destroy half the universe."

Clara frowned. "Could you do it?" she asked.

"Dunno." he admitted, "Let's find out."

He winked down at her before he quickly began to pull random levers and hit buttons on the console in order to set up, whatever it was...

"What are ya doin'?" Clara quizzed.

"I'm going to transmit a chroniton field throughout the TARDIS. It should merge all the timelines and reset them back to the original point of the chrono-kinetic surge." he told her, "But if I do it wrong, well let's put it this way, we won't have to worry about it."

"But how do we stop it from happening again?" she asked.

"Easy!" he exclaimed as he dashed around the console, "Get your Doctor to move the TARDIS. That way you won't be there when the surge hits."

Clara nodded. "Okay."

"Good!" boomed the Doctor, "Now, get back to where you were when the surge happened. The timelines need to reset correctly otherwise it won't be half the universe which is destroyed. Quickly! I'm admitting the chroniton field in 60 seconds. Go!"

Clara nodded and quickly dashed out the room. She had less than a minute to get to the bedroom. Could she do it? She certainly hoped so.

She passed through the House infested corridors, passed Donna's bedroom, down many identical corridors but finally she reached the room, just in time too.

She took a deep breath the chroniton field pulsed throughout the TARDIS, lighting her room up so bright that even closing her eyes didn't help that much…

When Clara's eyes opened, she way sat back on her bed next to the Doctor, her Doctor dressed in his usual long brown Victorian styled coat and fabulous bowtie.

"_Now I know there's something wrong_." the Doctor stated.

Clara nodded. "Yeah, very wrong!" she exclaimed.

The Doctor gasped slightly as she shot up, grabbed his wrist and physically dragged him to the control room.

"Clara?" he queried.

She released her grip as soon as they were adjacent to the control module.

"Time Vortex, now!" she demanded.

The Doctor was majorly confused but he could see that she was serious. Without second thought he hit the controls and piloted the TARDIS into the Vortex.

"We there?" questioned Clara.

The Doctor nodded. "Yep." he confirmed.

Clara smiled slightly and slumped down on the sofa.

"Thank God for that." she whispered.

The Doctor slowly looked around the console and over at her. She looked completely worn out and as she was rubbing her forehead, he assumed tired was also an accurate description.

He slowly made his way over to her and sat down next to her.

"What was all that about?" he asked her.

Clara sighed and leant her head on his shoulder.

"Tell me," she pleaded, "When did you wear brown pinstriped suits?"

The Doctor frowned but then it dawned on him.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

Clara sighed once again. "The TARDIS was shattered just like the planet." she explained, "I've met quite a few people today."

The Doctor smiled weakly. "Including a younger version of me." he said.

Clara looked up at him. "How young?" she asked.

"He was Ten." he explained, "I'm Eleven so not that long ago, to be honest."

Clara nodded slightly. "I'm so glad you're not like him." she confessed.

The Doctor frowned. "Why not?" he queried.

"Don't get me wrong, you were pretty good lookin'." she began.

"Were?" he questioned.

Clara smiled. "You still are." she confirmed.

"That's better." the Doctor agreed before wrapping his arm around her shoulder as they leant back on the chair.

"Yeah, but they way you spoke… you were completely bonkers!" she exclaimed, "I mean, you still are but that was… weird. I mean, you began to say something and then interrupted your own sentences... it was like you were having a conversation with yourself."

The Doctor laughed slightly and nodded. "Yeah, that's sounds like me." he agreed.

Clara smiled slightly but it was soon overpowered by an oncoming yawn.

"I missed you…" she confessed.

The Doctor tightened his grip around her and kissed the top of her head.

"You never went anywhere." he pointed out.

Clara pushed up off his chest slightly and looked into his eyes.

"Then why do I remember it all?" she asked.

The Doctor sighed and pushed her hair from off her face.

"Sometimes that's just how it happens." he explained.

Clara nodded with understanding before once again leaning her head on his chest. The Doctor kissed the top of her head once again and sighed.

"So, are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" he asked quietly.

Clara bit her lip and pushed herself up once again. When she looked up, the Doctor's eyes made her stomach knot. He truly was worried but she just didn't know what to say.

"Please…" he almost begged.

Clara sighed and looked away from his gaze momentarily before returning to look up at him.

"I… I wanna go home." she admitted.

The Doctor frowned slightly and slowly nodded.

"If that's what you want." he agreed.

Clara could see that he looked rather upset but did his best to hide it. He swiftly stood up and began to randomly flick some buttons in attempt to look busy.

Clara rolled her eyes and made her way over to him before wrapping her arms around his chest.

"No, not like that!" she told him, "I just wanna go home, walk 'round London…"

"Fish 'n' Chips?" suggested the Doctor who had to admit he was rather glad that she didn't mean 'go home for good'.

Clara nodded. "Can we?" she asked.

The Doctor turned around to her as she released her grip from around his chest. He then smiled and kissed her forehead. He knew this was just her way to avoid the question but for now, that was all he was going to get out of her. He just had to accept that.

"Yeah sure." he agreed, "Next stop: London, 2013."


	6. Happy to be Home

Chapter 6: Happy to be Home

Stepping out of the blue box into the heart of London and to be greeted by gloriously sunshine felt like a dream. Although she loved travelling through time and space, she found it brilliant to be back home… almost.

Clara had been so tempted to ask the Doctor to take her back to Darchester but she knew that would only result in heartbreak and confusion on her part. After all, although the village physically existed, it wasn't real and she mentally couldn't deal with all of that on top of her recent health problems.

Clara loved London, she always had. She loved the sight of it, especially looking over it from the top of the London Eye. When she was younger, she had often visited it with her school. The entire city had so much to offer: St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Canary Wharf, the River Thames, The Shard, The West End… enough to keep someone happy for a lifetime, well, she thought it was enough. However, after meeting the Doctor and seeing that the entire universe was in her reach, the Earth didn't seem as big anymore.

She felt so privileged to be able to actually travel to all the planets in universe. Just to travel between the stars was enough to make any girl happy, time travel just added to the adventure. Anyone would agree that she was a lucky person, after all, she had the opportunity to see things no other humans had seen and probably never would.

"Right!" began the Doctor, snapping her attention back to him, "Fish and Chips?"

Clara, who had been looking over the Thames, turned to face him and nodded.

"Yeah." she agreed, "You go get 'em and I'll meet ya back 'ere in a few minutes."

The Doctor frowned. "Why?" he asked, "Where are you going?"

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "Just to 'ave a walk 'round." she told him, "I don't wanna wait in a queue."

The Doctor smiled and softly and nodded. He could see that she did have some ulterior agenda but he didn't bring up the subject.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" he queried.

Clara nodded. "I'll only be a few minutes." she pointed out, "I just wanna take a walk 'round the block."

The Doctor nodded once again. Part of him didn't want to leave her alone, especially as she was hiding something from him. However, London was her home so he knew she would be safe there.

"Alright." he agreed, "I'll be back here in a few minutes."

They quickly exchanged a kiss before the Doctor departed her company and headed down the street.

"Don't forget ya need money!" she called after him.

He clicked his fingers and pointed when he turned to face her. He smiled and winked as gratitude for the reminder.

"Thank-you!" he expressed, "Money…"

Clara watched as he headed towards the local high street in search of a bank. She knew he had been to London countless times before but she did wonder how many times he had actually been there and just relaxed. Probably not many times as danger always seemed to follow in his wake…

For a moment or two, Clara just enjoyed the atmosphere around her. She wasn't afraid to admit it, no matter how much she loved travelling, there was no place like home. Despite all the places in the universe, there wasn't any other place which she loved as much as London. The only exception was probably the TARDIS… that was her home now.

Clara took a deep breath before casually heading down the street parallel to the Thames. She knew exactly where she needed to go but that didn't stop her enjoying her time being back in the city.

When she reached the mouth of the high street, she followed the crowds and integrated herself into it. It was a rush and although there were people desperately trying to get past, she found the ambience quite calm. Compared to the times she had experienced with the Doctor, all the running and the hiding and the weaving between crowds, this 'rush hour' was nothing at all.

Clara smiled to herself as she began to watch what was happening around her. It was incredible to notice all the beauties of everyday life once again, beauties she herself didn't get to experience or see much of anymore. There were business people walking down the pavements, coffees in one hand, documents in the other and hands-free Bluetooth devices sticking out of their ears. There were busy mothers attempting to control their children and keep them from running away in different directions, some succeeding, some not. Then there were the 'leaflet-givers' as Clara like to call them. They were people who stood all day, every day handing out masses and masses of leaflets, only for the receivers to deposit them on the floor a few yards later.

As she walked further down the road, a sudden tremor flew down her spine, almost as if someone had dropped an ice-cube down her back. The shivering sensation was over in seconds but it made her pause momentarily as her body tensed. The feeling soon passed so she slowly continued walking. With her hand she slowly began to massage the back of her neck in the hope to relieve the muscle tension. A sigh slowly crept up on her and as her neck muscles relaxed, she slowly lifted her head.

In a split second she stopped dead in her tracks when her eyes fell onto something, a woman on the other side of the road. The road itself was slowly crawling with traffic due to the volume of vehicles on the road but she didn't notice. As soon as her eyes fell on the woman, her entire world seemed to slow down. She blinked a couple of times and even through the rest of the city was moving around her, she just paused. All the noises merged into nothing, almost as if she were disconnected from reality.

Clara watched intensely as the woman waited for a young lad to catch up to her. He was smiling wildly while carrying a small plastic carrier bag containing what looked like a hardback book. However, she couldn't keep her eyes off the woman herself. She looked near enough the same age as her and full of energy. Her smile was beaming and it only increased as she wrapped her arms around the two children she was with, the lad and a girl who appeared to be a few years older than him. She was dressed in a white blouse and black three-quarter trousers, topped by a light grey cardigan. It was nothing too spectacular but it wasn't the clothes which had caught Clara's attention, it was the woman herself. Her hair was dark brown, equal in length to her own and as for her features, they were exactly the same. Both of them, both Clara and that woman were identical in every physically aspect. Although there were hundreds of people passing them, only Clara herself noticed. Everybody else just passed without a care in the world. No-one barring Clara actually noticed and it wasn't long before her doppelgänger and the two children disappeared in the sea of people.

It took her a moment to compose herself. Not even identical twins were _that_ similar to one another…

After her initial shock passed, she managed to reintegrate into the swarm of people and continue on her way. Had she just seen another version of herself…?

x-[]-x

The Doctor had been snacking on his chips for the past ten minutes. He was sat alone in the control room, waiting for Clara to return from their room. She had popped down in the hope to wash her hands before eating her chips. However, ten minutes was a long time to take when washing your hands, wasn't it?

On numerous occasions he had considered popping down to check if she was okay but he couldn't pull himself away from the chips. It had been a long time since he'd had some and he was rather enjoying them. Yes, it was bad to admit that he was choosing them over checking on his wife but he just couldn't help himself…

He sighed as he ate yet another one, the salt and strong tang of the vinegar making his eye sting slightly. Once the taste had passed, his gaze turned to the doorway which led off to the other rooms in the TARDIS, their bedroom included.

"Come on, Clara!" he called, "Your chips are going cold!"

After a moment he heard her mumble something back. He had absolutely no idea what she said but he went with it.

By the time she actually returned to the control room, he was on his last handful of chips. He could see her smiling, not a 'happy happy' smile but a somewhat relieved smile. He would have mentioned it but he didn't want to spoil the moment, it had been a while since he'd seen her look that genuinely happy.

"See ya didn't wait for me?" she stated referring to the almost empty chip paper in his hands.

He licked the salt off his lips and winked down at her as she retrieved hers off the little shelf on the console.

"Sorry…" he apologised as she began to lick his fingers, "Too tempting."

Clara rolled her eyes and unfolded her pack as the Doctor handed her a tiny wooden fork. She giggled as she took it off him before stabbing into one of the nicely cooled wedges. Subconsciously she blew it before placing it in her mouth. The Doctor smiled at that action and it increased into a laugh as he saw her face change as the tangy vinegar took its hold on her.

"My God…" she moaned after a moment, "'ow much vinegar ya put on these?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno." he admitted, "The woman did it."

Clara giggled once again before continuing with her meal. Now she had adapted to the tang, it didn't have as much affect on her face.

The Doctor sighed and leant back on the bar, just admiring her beauty… his beautiful wife, his beautiful, young and innocent wife. Subliminally, he began rub his fingers together but he didn't feel any metal on his finger which immediately caught his attention. His wedding ring… where was it?

He gulped slightly as he looked around the floor from where he was stood. It didn't take Clara long to notice.

"What's up?" she queried.

The Doctor shook his head slightly before looking in the direction of the doorway leading away from the control room.

"Back in a mo." he told her before swinging down the steps and heading towards their room.

As soon as he reached the room, he immediately dashed inside and searched the floor.

"Come on ring…" he though aloud, "Where are ya? Where've you gone?"

He searched the entire bed by jumping on it, ripping off the covers, everything. He then searched the floors and underneath the bed. To be honest, it could have been anywhere. For all he knew it could have been in London…

He actually could have killed himself. How do you lose a piece of jewellery, especially a piece as important as your wedding ring?!

"Come on… where've you gone?" he said aloud once again, "Clara's gonna kill me if I don't find you…"

His search progressed into the en-suite. The tile-like flooring in there was bright white so it shouldn't have been too hard to spot a golden band wedding ring…

"Oh, there you are!" he exclaimed as he spotted it sitting just underneath the sink.

He immediately crouched down to pick it up before forcing it back onto his finger. He sighed as he twisted around a few times until it felt right.

He released a sigh he hadn't realised he had been holding. He then raised his eyebrow and looked down at it sat comfortable on his finger.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" he warned it almost believing that it had a mind of its own.

He was about to stand up when something caught his eye, something which had fallen out of the once standing bin. He frowned slightly and reached for the crumpled and slightly ripped cardboard box. His eyes never left it and once it was in his hands, he realised there was something inside. He knew exactly _what _it was, it showed him clearly on the box but that didn't stop him from undoing the end and retrieving the object.

Once it had been removed and was firmly in his hand, it took him a few moments to ingest the sight of it which caused his muscles to tense. Scary… it had been a long time since he had seen one of those devices let alone have to worry about one…

He tapped it against the palm of his hand, once, twice, three times before daring to look at what it said. The muscles in his back and neck slowly relaxed when he saw what it said. Despite that, he still needed a word with his wife. Why had she kept something that important from him…?


	7. Dr Doctor

Chapter 7: Dr. Doctor

'_Curiosity killed the cat', that was how the expression went, was it not? Certainly in her case it was what always got her into trouble, her curiosity. She'd had it all worked out since she was a child: grow up, pass all her exams and then join a starship and see the stars. It was a common dream for many people with her level of curiosity, and intellect, but now she found herself somewhere… not nice, and that was putting it mildly._

_She was wandering down an almost pitch black corridor. The only source of light was coming from the small yet powerful torch in her right hand. It was quite a cold place, for the first time in ages she was actually thankful for her white spacesuit and overcoat with the big thick fur collar. _

_It didn't take long for her ears to pick up sounds, sounds which were slowly increasing their way towards her. She couldn't even describe exactly what there were. There were no voices, no breathing, nothing that sounded alive. It was more like a remote-controlled toy, or toys, things which she could only describe as 'robotic'. _

"_Where am I?" she questioned aloud._

_The noise increased, more and more of whatever they were joined the approach. They were getting closer…_

_In the corner of her eye she could see movement but by the time she looked around, it was gone. _

"_Where am I?" she questioned once again._

_Suddenly, shapes appeared in the darkness, closing the distance between herself and them. All that could clearly be seen were bright electric-blue circles all at the exact same height. That's when her body tensed. She had a horrible feeling she knew what these things were now…_

_Part of her didn't want to raise her torch so she could see them but she felt compelled to. After doing so, the lot of them advanced toward her, increasing her fear in the process. She knew exactly what they were now… creatures of pure hatred confined in a moving metal cage. Everybody who travelled in space knew about them and everybody knew that they weren't merciful… she was as good as dead._

"_Where am I?!" she cried, her mind not wanting to understand what was about to happen to her. _

_She soon found herself pinned against the cold metal wall and she wasn't afraid to admit it, she was petrified. There were dozens of them enclosing around her and she knew they would kill her sooner or later; after all, it was in their nature… _

_As quickly as it happened, it suddenly changed. She soon found herself lost in total darkness. The figures faded but her fear did not. The air around her began to thicken and somehow the darkness increased. _

_Her breathing was shallow; her nerves making her entire body shiver. She tried to speak, call out for help, but the words wouldn't leave her mouth. She was alone and scared. Her eyes no longer worked, she couldn't see…_

"_It's coming…" a voice whispered, "The Darkness is coming!"_

_The voice itself wasn't sinister, not like it normally was. It was much friendlier, actually quite childlike but still unrecognisable. For the first time ever it didn't sound like a threat, it was more like a warning; however the concept still scared her to death._

_As quickly as her surroundings had changed, so did the voice. Instead of remaining as the nice, new, friendly voice, it transformed into the usual petrifying one._

"_It's coming for you! It's coming to get you…" it tantalized, "The Darkness is coming… The Darkness will rise!"_

Clara awoke with a major jolt, her fear escaping in the form of a scream. The Doctor, who had been relaxing with his nose in a book on the other side of the bed, immediately dropped it on his lap and began to comfort her in the best way he could.

"Hey, hey, hey…" he soothed as he began to stroke her hair.

Her breathing was rapid and it took her a few moments to realise that she was now safe.

"Its okay." the Doctor assured her as he stroked the side of her face, "It was just a dream… It was just a dream."

Clara's breathing slowly began to normalise as the Doctor continued to comfort her. He had to admit that her dreams were beginning to worry him. She had insisted that she had never had nightmares before meeting him yet she had experience dozens since travelling with him. Also, the ways in which she squirmed while having one showed him how just much the images she saw frightened her. That was something what not many things could easily accomplish…

x-[]-x

The Doctor was aimlessly messing with the console, randomly flicking switches, clicking buttons and listening to the tunes produced, turning dials and flicking through the databases while Clara was still getting ready. The reason he had to keep himself busy was because he couldn't take his mind off his 'little discovery' from the day before.

As he was so lost in thought, he failed to notice her enter the control room a few minutes later. She happily skipped up the stairs, quite concerned when the Doctor failed to turn and face her like he usually did.

"Doctor?" she questioned.

The sound of her voice suddenly caught his attention and he turned to face her.

"Hey." he greeted with a weak smile.

Clara frowned slightly. "Are you okay?" she queried.

The Doctor sighed and turned around before falling back and leaning on the console.

"I'm fine." he replied.

Clara raised her eyebrow. "You don't seem it." she pointed out.

The Doctor bit his inner lip and tilted his head slightly, his eyes never leaving Clara's face which displayed a rather confused and slightly worried expression.

"Clara, we need to talk." he stated.

Clara frowned once again before leaning back on the other console she was stood next to.

"Okay…" she agreed, "What about?"

The Doctor sighed and looked down at his feet before reaching into top inner pocket. Clara's frown grew until his hand emerged holding a small, thin device.

Clara looked away and towards her feet. "Oh…" she realised.

"Yeah…" he trailed off.

Clara began to shuffle on the spot before folding her arms and looking back up at him. His eyes were soft and calm but full of something she couldn't recognise…

"Why didn't you say anything?" he queried in an almost whispered tone, "Clara, I've been worried sick about you."

She gulped and bit her lip. "I… I didn't know how to tell ya." she admitted, "Anyway, it doesn't matter."

The Doctor frowned slightly. "Doesn't matter?" he quizzed, "Clara, I'm your husband. I'm here for you… I thought you knew that."

Clara nodded adamantly. "I do know that." she confirmed, "But it seriously doesn't matter, it was a negative result."

The Doctor nodded. "I know." he verified, "But you should have told me that thought you were pregnant."

Clara shook her head. "I didn't know if I _was_." she told him, "That's why I went to get the test… I'll admit with how I've been feelin' lately I thought I was, but I'm not."

The Doctor sighed to himself. "So this was the reason you really wanted to go home yesterday?" he attempted to confirm, "Not to see the sights, to get the test?"

Clara nodded a little which made the Doctor laugh slightly.

"Did you honestly think I didn't know something was up?" he asked, "You can't hide much from me…"

It was at that point that she slumped down on the sofa.

"It… scared me." she confessed, "The idea of being pregnant."

The Doctor frowned as he made his way over and sat down on the edge of the sofa next to her.

"In what way?" he questioned.

"For starters, the baby wouldn't have been human so there's no idea how that would have affected me." she began, "Then there's the lifestyle we lead… Is it fair to raise a child in such _dangerous _circumstances? And then there was you…"

"What about me?" enquired the Doctor.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "Would you have had any interest in becoming a father?" she continued, "I mean, I wouldn't want to do it alone but… would you happily give up all the travellin' and help me raise it? How would we manage? How would it work? There were just so many unknowns…"

The Doctor sighed and nodded in agreement. "It's a scary adventure." he admitted, "Trust me, I've been through it before. However, what I can tell you about parenthood is this: the rewards you get outweigh all the fears by miles and miles and miles…"

Clara smiled softly up at him as he pushed a piece of fallen hair back around her ear.

"Clara, you should have told me." he said to her.

Clara sighed. "I-I didn't know how to." she explained, "If it had been positive then I would have told ya but… it wasn't."

Clara once again looked away from his gaze and down at her hands in her lap.

"I'm sorry…" she apologised in a whisper, "I really am…"

The Doctor wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her towards him before kissing the top of her head.

"Just promise me one thing." he requested, "Next time you have a problem, tell me. I'm always gonna be here Clara. I'm your husband, you're stuck with me whether you like it or not."

Clara giggled slightly before sitting up straight. "I promise." she guaranteed.

The Doctor smiled and rubbed her cheek with his hand. That was one thing he had learnt that she loved when he did.

"There's just one other thing which worries me now." he confessed.

She frowned slightly. "What?" she asked.

"If you're not pregnant, why are you feeling so ill all of a sudden?" he queried.

Clara shrugged her shoulder. "I dunno." she said, "Probably some weird space flu or something. I suppose ya gotta take the good with the bad when travellin' with you."

The Doctor laughed slightly before pushing himself up of the chair and pulled Clara up with him.

"Whoa, what ya doin'?" she asked as he pulled over to the console.

"Put your hand on that." he demanded, referring to a small square block on part of the console.

Clara frowned slightly and visually examined it. It was smooth and the same shade of silver as the majority of the console.

"What is it?" she queried.

The Doctor rolled his eyes while his smile grew.

"Just put your hand on it!" he ordered.

"Aye, sir." agreed Clara as she saluted before placing the same hand on it.

"Oi, stop it!" he warned playfully, "You know I don't like being saluted."

"Duh! Why d'ya think I did it?" she said as her teasing yet adorable smile formed.

The Doctor laughed a little before looking away once he had hit a range of different buttons which controlled whatever he was looking at on the screen.

"Seriously, what are ya doin'?" she questioned as she couldn't see what was being displayed on the monitor.

"Seeing if you've got 'some weird space flu or something'." he replied with a wink.

Clara raised her eyebrow. "Are you mocking me?" she quizzed.

The Doctor smiled. "I'd never mock you." he guaranteed her as he used both of his hands to cross his hearts, "I know if I did that, I wouldn't have a bed to sleep in tonight."

Clara giggled once again. She never considered that before, not allowing him to sleep in the same room when he had annoyed her…

"I'll have to remember that one." she told him.

The Doctor rolled his eyes just as his scans came to an end. All the results seemed perfectly normal. There were no toxins, pathogens or anything sinister in her systems. Granted, she seemed to be more tired than usual and her energy seemed a little low but there was no apparent cause.

"Everythin' alright?" she asked him.

The Doctor nodded while he flicked through the more detailed results.

"Blood pressure: 141/90, a little high but nothing to worry about." he said aloud, "Pulse rate: 77, not too bad, Body Temperature: 36.6°C, a little low but that's probably due to it being quite cold in here, Pregnancy test…"

Clara frowned as he trailed off. "What is it?" she queried.

The Doctor smiled softly at her and shook his head. "Nothing, it doesn't matter." he told her, "You look fine."

Clara raised her eyebrow slightly. "What ain't ya tellin' me?" she asked.

The Doctor looked up back towards the screen. "Nothing." he promised.

"So why have I been feelin' ill?" she quizzed.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "It's probably just because you're not used to long-term space travel." he explained.

"Meaning?" she queried.

"Space sickness." the Doctor finalised as he looked over and smiled, "Happens to the best of us."

Clara laughed slightly. "I've been in space for ages but it's never been affected like this before." she pointed out.

The Doctor smiled. "Eleven and a half months tomorrow." he reminisced, "Another fortnight and a day and it will have been a year… a whole year."

Clara's jaw dropped slightly. "Has it really been that long?" she asked in a small state of surprise.

The Doctor nodded. "Time flies when you're having fun." he told her before tilting his head slightly, "You know, I've never understood that expression."

Clara rolled her eyes as he began to get sidetracked.

"Can I take me 'and off now?" she enquired.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah, sorry." he apologised, "Forgot about that."

"Thanks…" she expressed slightly sarcastically before taking her hand off the square.

The Doctor smiled softly as she repositioned her wedding ring on her finger. He then glanced back up at the screen while she was pre-occupied with that.

The results of all her scans were displayed before him. None of them looked alarming however when he saw them altogether, they all followed a very specific pattern, a pattern which all lead to one thing. The only thing which confused him was the pregnancy test results. He expected the TARDIS, which had one of the best scanners ever produced, to be able to collect results to a simple test but all that he got was 'inconclusive'. What did that even mean?!

The Doctor was about to say something when he suddenly felt something hit his chest from inside his jacket.

"Ow!" he exclaimed.

Clara immediately looked at him as he retrieved a small black wallet from the inner pocket. She could only remember seeing it once before and she hadn't a clue what it was.

The Doctor quickly opened it and saw a message displayed on it. Clara watched as his frown deepened.

"What is that?" she asked.

"Psychic paper…" he replied, his eyes never leaving it, "Someone's sent me a message."

"Oh, is that the thing Caven Trix used to call you with that time… at that museum?" she trailed off when her thoughts returned back to that particular adventure.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah." he answered, "Although it's not him this time."

Clara was suddenly intrigued. "Well, who's it off?" she quizzed, "What's it say?"

The Doctor gulped and sighed.

"_Sweetie, I need you…" _he read.

Clara's face suddenly formed a frown in which her eyebrow was raised.

"_Sweetie?!_" she queried.


	8. The Missus and the Ex

Chapter 8: The Missus and the Ex

"_Sweetie?!" _Clara exclaimed once again.

"Yes, 'Sweetie'!" the Doctor confirmed as her hurriedly rushed around the console.

Clara raised her eyebrow and rested her hands on her hips which soon caught his attention.

"Explain." she demanded, "Who is she and why does she call you _Sweetie?"_

The Doctor began to shuffle on the spot before beginning to sign with his hands as he spoke.

"You know… You know before I met you?" he began as he slowly approached her.

Clara nodded. "Pretty well." she told him.

"Well, before that… I was married to someone else." he explained.

Clara raised her eyebrows in genuine surprise.

"Wow… was not expectin' that." she confessed as she folded her arms, "Now don't I feel really special?"

The Doctor tilted his head to the side slightly and frowned. "What?" he queried.

"Is this what you do with all ya companions?" she interrogated, "Marry 'em and then leave when ya bored?"

"Wha- No!" he confirmed, "Absolutely not!"

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "So why aren't ya with her anymore?" she asked, "Ya _'divorced'_ her?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No…" he answered.

"Then what?" she questioned, "Ya cheatin' on 'er?"

The Doctor frowned a little. "No!" he confirmed, "I'd never do that!"

Clara raised her eyebrow briefly. "Then what 'appened?" she enquired.

The Doctor sighed quietly to himself. "It's complicated." he explained.

"Then _un-_complicate it." she ordered.

The Doctor fell back onto the bar directly opposite to her.

"She died…" he told her.

Clara couldn't help but laugh slightly, not because she found it funny, because soon found herself completely baffled.

"What, she 'died'?" she queried, "And she's just sent you a message…? Explain that one to me Doctor, please, I beg you."

"Um…" the Doctor hesitated as he tried to determine the best way to attempt to explain, "The first time I met her, she died. The time before the time before the time before that, she met me but I already knew her then."

Clara shook her head momentarily as she attempted to understand what he was saying.

"I said 'un-complicate' it, not make it more confusin' than it already is!" she cried.

The Doctor smiled softly. "To cut a long story short, she now lives in a computer core and I live here with you." he simplified.

Clara rubbed her forehead in a huge state of confusion.

"I-I thought you said she died!" she objected.

"Well, physically she did." he explained.

Clara stood completely still for a moment as her brain sieved through the information. He could see the cogs in her mind working away but unlike how they usually grasped things pretty easily, they seemed incapable, almost as if they were on strike.

"Okay." she agreed after a moment.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "You're not getting this at all, are you?" he asked.

Clara scratched the side of her face and slowly shook her head.

"Not a clue." she confessed.

x-[]-x

The Doctor gulped slightly as he landed the TARDIS. Both he and Clara were stood looking at the screen and Clara could see his apprehension as they landed.

"Never thought I'd be here again." he confessed.

Clara looked at the screen but all she could see displayed was some sort of metallic control room.

"Where are we?" she asked, "What is this place?"

The Doctor sighed as he checked the seal which he had just broken through, yet again. Whatever was happening, it must have been dreadfully important for River to call for him, especially after what she had told him the last time.

"The Library…" he replied to Clara's earlier question.

"Ooh, I love books." Clara stated.

"Not these ones." he told her.

Clara frowned as he slowly began to head for the door, especially as continued in complete silence.

"Doctor!" she cried.

The two of them soon found themselves in the metal control room, more commonly known at the Core to the Doctor. It was rather cold and considerably spooky, well, Clara thought so.

She watch intensely as the Doctor made his way over to a metal cabinet and opened it in order to pull on a large lever. This resulting in another cabinet door opening and revealing some sort of tall podium. Her immediate attention turned to the top of it where a small almost oval section began to turn and face them.

"What is that thing?" she queried.

Her jaw dropped a little when it finished turning as it had revealed a face, a real human face sticking out of it. It was definitely a woman's, she could tell by the shape of the lips. At that moment in time her eyes were closed but it didn't take long for them to open which made her jump. The woman's attention soon turned to the Doctor who gulped slightly.

"River." he greeted timidly.

She smiled weakly. "Doctor." she responded.

She daren't say 'Hello Sweetie' this time, especially after what she told him during the last visit. To be fair, if she weren't in danger, she wouldn't have called for him at all. What she had told him the last time she saw him, she had meant, no matter how much it still hurt.

Clara could feel the atmosphere between them thicken and to be honest, it was beginning to feel rather uncomfortable.

"Um, shall I leave you two alone?" Clara suggested as she looked over at her silent husband.

At that moment, River spotted Clara for the first time. Her lips soon curled and formed a small yet gentle smile.

"Clara." she stated.

Both Clara and the Doctor were slightly shocked and due to that, Clara snapped her neck up towards her.

"You know me?" she queried her.

"Of course." answered River, "We met at the… you haven't done that yet, have you?"

Clara's frown intensified. "Done what?" she attempted to clarify.

The Doctor smiled to himself. "Spoilers…" he whispered, remembering the word which used to hear so often when in his ex-wife's company.

Clara turned to face him while River just laughed. "Exactly." she agreed.

"What… What the 'ell are you two on about?" Clara questioned before turning to River, "And who exactly are you?"

River smiled down at her. "River Song." she introduced, "Ex-archaeologist."

Clara nodded slightly. "And… what are you?" she asked, trying to be delicate and not come across as rude.

River smiled. "It's a long story." she explained.

Clara sighed before turning to the Doctor who looked up at River's face. The entire sight of her in that state still filled him with guilt, but now even more sadness crept on him as he saw her. Not only was he the reason she was condemned to live in that state, she was the daughter of the Ponds so obviously looking at her reminded him of them.

"So, where are you?" River queried him, bringing his attention back to her.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "No idea." he confessed, "Last time I saw you… was in New York, then here."

River's eye's widened slightly. "Blimey that was a long time ago." she recalled, "You haven't even told me your name yet."

The Doctor tilted his head slightly. That was true, he hadn't…

"What do you want River?" he asked when he looked back up at her, sounding slightly more harsh than he had intended, "I do recall you telling me the last time I was here to 'fly away and never come back'."

River sighed. "I know." she confessed, "I wouldn't have called for you if it wasn't important."

The Doctor nodded. "Okay, so what's up?" he queried.

Clara watched as River appeared to gulp slightly.

"The Vashta Nerada are wearing down the seal to the core." she explained, "If they break in, we're dead… Doctor please, help us…"

Clara saw the Doctor's eyes suddenly fill with some sort of determination. Whoever or whatever the Vashta Nerada were, he obviously felt compelled to help her against them.

The Doctor immediately whipped out his screwdriver and began to scan the area. Clara, who was standing with her arms folded, swiftly moved out of his way as he did so.

"What are the Vashta Nerada?" Clara queried.

However, despite her question, she got no response from him as he was so engrossed in, whatever it was he was doing.

"Containment's down 89%." he reported, "I'm surprised it hasn't buckled already."

"I'm kind of glad it hasn't." River pointed out, "Can you fix it? I dunno, can you deadlock it or something?"

The Doctor turned and looked up at her, almost as if she had lost her mind.

"Deadlock it?!" he quizzed, "And just how am I suppose to do that?"

River raised her eyebrow as if it should have been obvious.

"With your screwdriver." she explained, "Use the deadlock setting."

The Doctor looked down at the device in his hand and then back up at her, his confusion as apparent as Clara's.

"It doesn't have a _deadlock _setting." he told her.

"Mine does… did." she corrected.

"Yeah, and I'm not going out there to get it." he told her, referring to what Clara believed was the door to the room they were currently in.

She was rather unaccustomed to being left in the dark by him. Usually he told her anything, no matter how scary, but at that moment in time, she honestly believed that he wouldn't have notice if she just wandered back into the TARDIS.

"I'll just… I dunno, make one." he continued as he made his way over to the other side of the room.

Clara frowned slightly. "You can do that?" she questioned.

"'Course I can." he replied, "Don't you remember the anti-ice one against the Governess at Christmas…"

His words suddenly trailed off when he realised what he was saying. Wrong Clara…

Clara's confusion deepened. "No." she answered.

The Doctor quickly began to look around for inspiration. He needed to come up with a convincing lie… fast! Then again, maybe a distraction would be just as effective, or better yet, both!

"That's because… that was with someone else…" he rectified, "River, talk to Clara!"

Both River and Clara were completely baffled by his actions but neither of them wanted to disturb him as he attempted to forcefully program his screwdriver to do exactly what he wanted, not an easy task for anyone.

For a few moments, the room was silent as neither Clara nor River knew what to say. Did they find the moments awkward in any way? Maybe just a little…

"So…" began River, "You… travel with him?"

Clara nodded. "Yeah." she replied with a slight nod, "How… How did you know my name?"

River sighed. "I've met you before." she admitted, "A long time ago."

Clara shook her head slightly. "I don't understand." she confessed, "How can you 'ave met me when I 'aven't ever met you?"

River smiled softly down at her. "My timeline's all over the place. I never meet the Doctor or his companions in the right order."

Clara nodded slightly before cocking her head to the side and looking up at her once again.

"You were his wife, weren't you?" she attempted to confirm.

River smiled feebly. "Yes…" she confessed, "A long time ago… a lifetime ago."

Clara nodded as she listened. "You know, you are amazing." she told her with a smile.

River frowned slightly but genuinely smiled down at her. "In what way?" she questioned.

"You act so cool in what must be the most awkward situations." she clarified.

"Such as?" enquired River.

Clara laughed slightly. "Seeing your ex-husband with his new wife." she pointed out, "I know I could never do that. I'd be too jealous."

River's face suddenly fell into a frown. "Wife?" she queried.

Clara nodded. "Yeah…" she confirmed.

"You?" River asked in a small state of shock.

Clara nodded in response. "You didn't know?" quizzed Clara.

"No…" River admitted, "Don't me wrong; I'm happy for you both but… I didn't realise you were married when I met you before."

The Doctor, who had been listening to the two of them while creating the new setting, looked up slightly and over at River. That information worried him slightly… why hadn't River seen him married to Clara in his future?

"Oh well, maybe I just wasn't paying attention." suggested River.

"But you 'ave met me, 'aven't ya?" asked Clara.

"I'm sure I have." she confirmed, "You're Clara Oswald, right?"

Clara nodded. "Yeah." she replied.

"And you met him on Earth?" River questioned, referring to the Doctor."

"Yeah…" answered Clara.

River smiled softly. "I obviously didn't pay much attention last time." she confessed, "Sorry…"

Clara smiled slightly up at her. She was about to say something else when she felt her stomach churn. She immediately placed her hand on the top of her abdomen as a wave of sudden nausea passed through her body.

River noticed her change in colour almost immediately. "Clara?" she enquired.

The concern in River's voice soon captured the Doctor's attention and he instantly looked over at Clara. He saw her swaying as her balance suddenly vanished and within seconds he was at her side, just in time to support her as her knees gave way.

"Whoa, I got ya." he confirmed.

She took a few large breaths before putting her hand up to him.

"Gimme the key…" she begged, "Please."

As he could see her desperation, he complied right away. He quickly reached into his pocket in order to retrieve the key before giving it to her. As soon as it was in her hand, she raced towards the TARDIS. Just as she went to unlock the door, it suddenly swung open, almost as if the TARDIS understood her haste. Also, the journey from the control room to her bedroom was much shorter than usual, something she also thanked the TARDIS for.

By the time she managed to reach the en-suite, she found herself bringing up the little amount of food she actually had left in her stomach. It was actually a horrid feeling. She hated being sick, she always had. The way it made you feel breathless and tired always made her want to scream. However, the only thing she liked about it was the way it always made you feel better once it was over… well, it _usually_ did…


	9. Space Sickness

Chapter 9: 'Space Sickness'

The Doctor was rather unaccustomed to dealing with illness, despite his title meaning 'healer'. Never before had any of his companions suffered with anything more than a common cold when travelling with him. Unfortunately, Clara seemed to be a clear exception.

He had found himself sat on the edge of their bed, slowly comforting his physically drained wife as she managed to have a couple-minute breather between her vomiting spells. Out of all the time he had known her, he had never seen her so unwell. Not only was her skin an almost ghostly white, but her temperature was up and down like a yo-yo, constantly alternating between extremely hot and cold spells. It was at such an extent that one moment she would be physically shaking due to being so cold then the next minute she'd be sweating as if her body was on fire.

He still couldn't forget the way he had found her after leaving the Library. If he was honest, if she hadn't almost cried when he had insisted in taking to a hospital, that's where they would have found themselves at that moment in time. Whatever was wrong with her, he didn't like it…

_He had finished deadlocking the Library Core's seal much faster than he had anticipated. Initially he had intended to have a word with the remaining Vashta Nerada; after all, he had believed that the warning he gave them the last time had been sufficient. However, within minutes he was back on the TARDIS, his more immediate attention directed at his wife who he actually hadn't seen yet…_

_He soon finalised the new seal on the Library, making sure that nothing could ever exit or enter the planet again, not even him. In a way he liked that as it made sure that he would never go back to see River like she had requested the last time. It also meant the Vashta Nerada were contained. Nobody else would die at the hands of that malicious swarm ever again._

_Once everything was completed with the Library, the Doctor flew the TARDIS into the Time Vortex before headed down towards his bedroom. After seeing how pale Clara had been before dashing inside the TARDIS a few minutes beforehand, he had a strong feeling that that's where she would be._

_He approached the room at a rather quick pace only to reach the en-suite and see her perched over the sink, her hands and knees visibly quivering while a number of tears escaped her eyes and gently rolled down her pale cheeks._

"_My God…" he breathed to himself before immediately making his way over to her side._

_He had absolutely no idea what to do in that particular situation. He couldn't comfort her easily as she was panting through her tears which were slowly intensifying. _

_She attempted to lift her head to look at him through the mirror but the heaviness of her neck inhibited her from doing so for more than a second or two. _

"_Oh, Clara…" he whispered as he slowly began to rub her back, the only thing he could think to do in that circumstance._

_Her hands gripped once again around the edges of the sink as her stomach once again expelled the contents of her rather empty stomach. The Doctor immediately gathered her hair and held it back as she cried out in frustration._

"_Hey, come on…" he soothed._

_Clara panted once again as her breathing began to normalise once again._

"_This…" she breathed incredibly weakly through her pants, "This is not… space sickness… It can't be..."_

_The Doctor smiled softly as he continued to rub her back. She continued to remain at the sink but finally after a few moments of calmness, her stomach appeared to begin to settle. She slowly reached for the flannel and wiped her mouth before letting her already weak knees give way as she lowered herself to the floor. The Doctor lowered himself with her, assisting her as she turned to lean against the wall next to the sink. He could see she was physically drained, however, some of the colour was slowly returning to her cheeks. _

_After a few seconds, Clara brought her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on them, allowing the lightheaded feeling she had to fade away. For a moment the Doctor stroked the back of her neck, his brain unable to find the best words to say to her._

_She sighed at his touch which he smiled at before she lifted her head and rubbed her heavy eyes. It took her a moment but once that had happened; she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at her husband. He smiled softly as she leant against his hand which was slowly caressing her cheek._

"_I'm gonna get you to a Doctor." he explained softly._

"_No!" she pleaded instantaneously, gripping tightly onto his free hand._

_The Doctor frowned as her full attention turned to him while a hint of panic arose in her voice._

"_Clara, you're ill." he argued._

"_No, please!" she cried as she shook her head, "I don't wanna go to an 'ospital." _

_The Doctor could see some sort of fear build up inside of her and that made his frown intensify._

"_Why not?" he questioned._

_Clara gulped as her breathing began to increase in volume, becoming much sharper and deeper than before._

"_The-The first time I went to an 'ospital with you, I was kidnapped... The second time I was almost killed…" she pointed out, "I-I don't want there to be a third time…"_

_The Doctor sighed. "Clara…" he began._

"_Please!" she begged, her voice beginning to crackle, "I don't wanna go to an 'ospital…"_

_The Doctor watched as her eyes began to water once again and her hands began to tremor. It actually killed him to see her so scared of something, especially as it was rare for her to be that frightened. The only thing he knew that made her like that was her nightmares._

_The Doctor nodded slightly. "Okay…" he agreed, "At least let me get you to bed."_

The fact that she had agreed confirmed to him just how out-of-sorts she actually was and unfortunately for her, it hadn't taken long for her sickness to return.

The Doctor couldn't shake his desire to get her checked out, it wasn't right for someone to be so ill… If he was totally honest, he had a rather large hunch that he knew what was wrong with her and that scared him slightly. However, when he thought about it, there were more than a few other possibilities which could have been causing her symptoms and all of those were increasing his desire to get her checked out. He just wanted to know what was wrong…

Clara moaned into his lap slightly as her stomach turned once again. Luckily, it wasn't enough to warrant her to move as it wasn't another sickness spell, however; it was a rather unpleasant feeling.

"Hey…" he soothed in a whisper.

She slowly began to fidget into a new position while he slowly rubbed her cheek. This resulted in her opening her eyes and looking up at him.

"Hello." he greeted with a soft smile.

She weakly returned the favour.

"Hey…" she whispered.

The Doctor smiled softly down at her as he rubbed her hair out of her face. She appreciated the warmth of his hands, especially as she was beginning to go through one of her cold spells.

"What?" she asked him tiredly.

The Doctor sighed. "Please… please let me get you checked out." he almost begged.

"No…" Clara moaned.

She desperately didn't want him to but unfortunately for her, she hadn't really got the strength to argue with him. Also, the way his eyes pierced her heart hurt her just as much as the pain from her constant retching. He was worried and if she was honest, she was too. The only thing stopping her from actually agreeing was her fear of the unknown.

The Doctor sighed with a small hint of frustration. "Why?" he queried.

Clara sighed heavily and pulled herself up off his lap. For a few moments she sat with her back to him. It took a few seconds of chilling silence between them before she even attempted to answer.

"I'm scared…" she confessed in a whisper.

The Doctor scooted closer to her and kissed her shoulder while he placed his hand on her back.

"I won't let anything hurt you." he promised.

Clara shook her head slightly.

"I know… it's not that." she admitted.

"Then… what is it?" the Doctor asked.

Clara slowly turned around to face him, keeping her eye contact with him for less than a second before once again looking down at her hands in her lap.

"I'm… I'm scared to find out what's wrong." she told him.

"Clara…" he whispered as he wrapped his arms around from behind her before resting his chin lightly on her shoulder, "I get it, I really do but… it won't get any better unless we know what's wrong."

Clara sighed. "I guess you're right…" she confessed.

The Doctor pulled his arms away from her and pushed himself to his feet. Clara turned to face him as he extended his hand out to her. She couldn't help but notice the hint of happiness on his face. Then again, he was getting what he wanted…

She smiled softly before accepting his hand and allowing him to assist her up.

The transition to her feet went rather well but as soon as all of her weight was on her feet, she suddenly went very lightheaded. Due to this, her legs soon gave way. Thankfully, the Doctor's super quick reflexes meant she didn't hit the floor as he was able to catch her in time.

"Clara?" he questioned as he noticed her eyes rolled back into her head, "Clara!"

x-[]-x

"_She's coming around." _a voice said which broke through the silence of her thoughts.

"_Clara?" _the rather familiar voice of her husband asked.

Clara awoke and found herself in a brilliant white room, a room she soon recognised as some sort of hospital side ward. The first voice she had heard belonged to a woman dressed in a white robe. She had a kind face but it her blood red eyes were kind of disturbing as it reminded Clara of many monster-type creatures back home on TV. However, the smile she had made that fear soon fade.

The Doctor gripped her hand as she became fully aware of her surroundings.

"What 'appened?" Clara asked groggily.

The Doctor smiled softly, more than relieved that she was finally awake. After two hours of sitting next to her in a comatose state, it was fantastic to see her conscience once again.

"You collapsed." he told her, "So I brought you here."

Clara nodded slightly as the Nurse adjusted her pillow in order for her to sit up in the bed. Once she had done that, Clara rested her head on it while turning to face her.

"And what's the verdict?" Clara questioned.

The Nurse frowned slightly. "I'm sorry?" she attempted to clarify as she didn't fully understand.

The Doctor looked up at her. "What's wrong with her?" he asked.

The Nurse's frown intensified. "You don't know?" she queried.

"Why d'ya think we're 'ere?" Clara asked her.

The Nurse smiled softly. "I'm sorry, I was under the impression you knew." she explained, "You're pregnant."

Clara suddenly felt as if the air had been knocked out of her lungs.

"W-What?" she stuttered.

The Doctor felt her hand tightly grip his, her nails digging into his skin rather unforgivably. He could see the fear plastered across her face, then again he couldn't blame her; this was certainly going to change their lives.

"About five weeks in human terms." continued the Nurse.

The Doctor nodded slightly and looked up at his shell-shocked wife. It made sense really. Five weeks ago it had been their wedding which had led to their wedding night so…

"Why did she faint?" the Doctor questioned.

The Nurse looked over at him.

"Different species metabolisms sometimes clash." she answered, "It's not uncommon for such pregnancies to cause biochemical fluctuations in the mother."

Clara, who had just managed to compose herself enough, looked up at the Nurse.

"Is that serious?" she queried.

"Not usually." confirmed the Nurse, "You can expect some increased nutritional needs, increased fatigue, behavioural volatility…"

"Behavioural volatility?" Clara quizzed as she was struggling to understand a lot of what was being said.

"Mood swings." re-worded the Nurse.

Clara laughed slightly and looked down at the Doctor who was almost in a small state of shock.

"So much for 'space sickness'." she joked.


	10. Big Changes

Chapter 10: Big Changes

The pair of them, both the Doctor and Clara had been sat together in the side ward for a good ten minutes. Ever since the Nurse had left them alone a few minutes beforehand, an unnerving silence had settled upon them.

The Doctor could feel the frantic heartbeat of his wife pulsing through her veins. It was certainly safe to assume that she was petrified. Then again, she had every right to be. All of her worries must have been plaguing her mind and no matter how much he wished, there was nothing he could do in order to completely obliterate her fears.

He began to release his slowly numbing hand from her still tightened grip, gently caressing the back of her hand as he moved himself and the chair he was sat upon closer to her bed.

"Hey…" he whispered.

She slowly turned to face him. He sighed quietly as she attempted to smile at him but her slightly quivering lip inhibited her from doing so.

The Doctor could see that her eyes were completely filled up and on the verge of bursting. What he wouldn't have given to alleviate her fears…

"I… I can't believe it…" she finally managed to bring herself to say.

The Doctor smiled softly up at her.

"I know." he agreed in a whisper.

Clara gulped ever so slightly and it definitely didn't go unnoticed by the Doctor.

"You… You are 'appy about this, right?" she queried.

The Doctor frowned a little and immediately stood up before cupping his hand around her cheek. He brought her eye level with his and smiled gently as he slowly stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"Of course I'm happy." he guaranteed, "A little overwhelmed maybe, but don't mistake that for not being happy."

Clara nodded briefly before her attention turned down to her still flattened abdomen.

"This ain't really how I expected it to 'appen." she confessed.

The Doctor gently sat down on the edge of her bed and allowed his hand to leave her face before once again gripping around her hand in her lap.

"I thought you wanted to be a mother one day." he stated.

Clara nodded slightly. "Yeah…" she answered, "But not like this… It's so dangerous out there, Doctor."

"We'll get through this." he promised her as he squeezed her hand, "Together."

Clara sighed and looked down at her lap once again.

"I take it you'll be takin' me 'ome." she stated in a whisper.

The Doctor immediately frowned. "What?! You think I'm gonna kick you out of the TARDIS just for being pregnant?" he questioned, "What kind of husband would I be if I did that?"

Clara instantly looked up at him. "You mean I can stay?" she attempted to clarify.

"Of course you can!" he cried, gripping her hand tighter, "Together means together, and you're home's with me… in the TARDIS. I'm not gonna leave you Clara. I promise you that."

Clara smiled softly and nodded.

"I love you…" the Doctor told her before cautiously placing his hand on her stomach, "Both of you…"

Clara tensed slightly as his hand rested upon her tummy but she soon relaxed as his soft smile broke through her fears. It was certainly going to take her a while to get used to it.

Cautiously, she placed her hand on top of the Doctor's and interlocked her fingers in his. No matter what, at least she had him.

x-[]-x

She hadn't a clue exactly how long it had been but after being discharged from the hospital, Clara found herself back in the TARDIS. It hadn't quite sunk in yet, not really. Her life was going to change and if she was honest, she wasn't sure if it was for the better or worst. A baby was such a big responsibility and with lives like theirs, would it be safe?

The Doctor still hadn't flown the TARDIS away from the hospital. He knew for a fact that Clara wouldn't want to be mollycoddled over the up-and-coming months ahead; however, he knew he was going to be extra careful when choosing a destination. Certainly, they were still going to have adventures, he didn't think Clara would let him live if he put a stop to them, but safety was the utmost importance. It wasn't just because she was pregnant; it was because this was their child, _his_ child. After centuries, he was going to become a father once again…

He certainly couldn't deny that he was scared. After loosing his other children during the Time War, he never thought he'd be happy to be a father again. After all, he thought that part of him died when they did. Not even his 'daughter' Jenny had fully managed to break down _that_ barrier he had around his hearts. She did help, he couldn't deny that, but after loosing her too, he never, _ever_ thought he could get that part of himself back. However, at that point in his life, he hadn't met Clara…

He actually couldn't thank the universe enough for allowing him to find her. He especially couldn't thank it enough for letting him fall in love with her and then allowing her to do the same and fall in love with him. She was just amazing… an impossible girl who held the key to his hearts. Just the way she could keep up with him and make him feel like he was touching fire when they were together still amazed him. No other living soul had the ability to do that.

The Doctor soon made his way over to her. She was sat on the floor, her legs dangling over the edge of that level while her mind desperately tried to go through all the information.

He smiled softly as he could see she was a million galaxies away… possible further.

"You alright?" he questioned her softly.

She soon turned and looked up at him towering over her.

She nodded slightly. "Yeah." she answered, "It's just… a lot to take it."

The Doctor nodded in agreement as he sat down next to her.

"Do you wanna talk?" he queried.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "What's to say?" she asked, "I think you know exactly how I feel."

The Doctor's smile appeared once again and he brushed her hair out her face before using that opportunity to stroke the side of her face.

"You are being so brave." he told her.

Clara laughed slightly and frowned. "How?" she quizzed.

"You haven't moaned about it, not once." he said.

Clara laughed once again. "Yes, I 'ave." she confirmed.

The Doctor shook his head. "No." he told her adamantly, "You've said that you're scared, but you haven't moaned."

Clara rolled her eyes while her lips curled into a smile.

"Bet you won't be able to say that in eight months." she told him.

The Doctor frowned slightly. "Eight?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I'm already five weeks and it takes nine mon…" Clara trailed off when she realised something, "A Timelord and Human pregnancy is still nine months, right?"

The Doctor nodded slowly and looked away. "Yes…" he confirmed.

Clara's body tensed slightly as she could see there was still something more.

"Plus how many more?" she quizzed.

The Doctor looked back at her. "Two." he replied.

Clara jaw hit the ground. "Eleven months?!" she cried.

The Doctor nodded slightly. "Yes." he answered in a faint whisper.

"Oh my God…" she whispered.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders a little. "It not that much different to human gestation." he pointed out.

Clara shot him a look which he was rather glad actually didn't have the ability to kill.

"You're not the one who 'as to carry it." she stated.

The Doctor sighed. "You're right, I'm not." he confirmed.

Clara smiled softly and nodded in agreement. There was no point in moaning about something she couldn't control.

She looked back up at her husband who looked speechless, a rare sight in itself. He was trying, she couldn't ignore that, but he was certainly struggling with what to say without making angry… Cute!

"Can we go somewhere?" she asked.

His eyes suddenly lit up as he clambered to his feet before pulling her up too.

"Anywhere in particular?" he asked.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "Surprise me." she told him, "Actually no, don't. I wanna know where we're goin'."

The Doctor smiled and turned to look at the screen before looking back at her.

"You like opera, right?" he attempted to confirm.

She nodded slightly. "I suppose." she answered, "But 'ow did you know that? I've never told you that before, I've never told anyone."

The Doctor winked before running around to the other side of the console and hitting some random levers and buttons.

"Oi!" she cried, "Where are we goin'?"

"How about a trip to see the Carmen?" he asked, "The very first show?"

Clara's smile began to grow. "When you say the first, do ya mean…?" she began.

"The 3rd of February, 1875." he interrupted, "The _very _first one."

Clara raised her eyebrow a little.

"I thought the first show was the 3rd of _March, _1875." she stated.

The Doctor shook his head and smiled. "No." he confessed, "That's _officially_ but there were a few 'tester' ones held in Paris in the February. Do you want to go and see?"

Clara nodded eagerly. "Have I got time to go an' get dressed?" she queried.

The Doctor rolled his eyes before kissing her head as he dashed around her.

"It's a time machine." he reminded her, "You've always got time to get dressed."

Clara let out a small giggle of excitement before dashing down the steps and towards the corridor which led to their room.

"Be careful!" the Doctor called after her.

Clara rolled her eyes as she left the room. She supposed she was going to have to get used to him being extra protective over the next few months.

"Whatever!" she called back before disappearing.

The Doctor smiled and continued to pilot the TARDIS. He couldn't help but briefly thing about Oswin back in the Asylum. She'd liked the Carmen, and now Clara did too. There was yet another link that connected the pair of them.

The Doctor immediately hit the side of his face in order to snap himself out of that train of thought.

"Stop it!" he ordered himself.

There was no point in thinking about Oswin, he had Clara now and he certainly wasn't going to loose her too…


	11. A Familiar Face

Chapter 11: A Familiar Face

The Carmen was nothing like she had expected, or even dreamed of, but it was brilliant nonetheless. The ambiance of 19th Century France was frankly breathtaking and despite the fact she had assumed that the upper class French citizens from that era would have been rather snobby, Clara was amazed to actually discover that most of them were actually quite normal, if _normal_ was an okay term to use when talking about people long dead. Yes, there were a couple typical snobby trying-to-be aristocrats but to be fair, as they left her alone, she didn't mind in the slightest. She was in Paris for goodness sake! She was in the city of love along with her husband watching one of the most famous operas possible during its very first show, why would she have care if there were a couple of stuck up aristocrats somewhere in the crowd?

The show was well into its last half when the Doctor broke his hand away from around Clara's waist and escaped the audience in order to get her a drink, water obviously.

He loved the Carmen, he thought it was a lovely show, but the very first one was certainly another level of awesome above the rest. That was probably due to the almost magical essence of the atmosphere. Something about being in 19th Century Paris created a level of beauty usually reserved for Kingdom's of far away planets or fantasy worlds out of children's books. Maybe it was the women's dresses which made them all look like fairytale princesses, his wife included.

Once obtaining the fancy silver chalice filled with barely enough water for one mouth full, he began to head back to his seat.

The music was rather loud at that point as the show was reaching its climax and when he reached the row where he had been sat, he saw that the path to his chair was blocked by a number of happy people all swaying along with the music.

The Doctor smiled softly at the sight, especially as Clara was included in that description.

Rather than be a nuisance and get in their way, he decided to remain where he was, casually falling back onto a pillar behind him while continuing to watch the show.

It wasn't too long after that when he noticed a man appear next to him. Rather than his face, the Doctor's more immediate attention turned to the stranger's obscure attire: a long dark trench coat and black military boots. Not very 19th Century France, more like World War II… and if he was honest, all too familiar…

The Doctor looked up slowly and caught a glimpse of the man's face. He couldn't help but smile.

"Hey there Tiger." the man greeted, "You as bored as I am?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and laughed a little. After all that time, he still hadn't chanced a bit, even though he had. It was so good to see him once again…

"Stop it!" he warned, still smiling which resulted in the man smiling too.

"I was only saying 'hello'." the man objected, "Captain Jack Harkness, and you are?"

The Doctor smirked. "Married." he clarified.

Jack looked over at the peculiar man stood before him and smiled slightly. Apart from the ridiculous dress sense and daft grin which he was sure he would have remembered, he would have sworn that they had met before. There was just something about him which seemed familiar.

"Do I know you?" Jack queried.

The Doctor smirked once again. "No, I don't suppose you do." he answered, "But I know you… I know you all too well… and not like _that._"

Jack's lips began to curl at the corners. "I'm not sure whether I should be scared or not." he confessed.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"Come on Captain, you're a clever man." he stated, "Work it out."

At that point, the Carmen had actually ended but the music was still playing as the audience began to pull themselves together and group up as they began to socialise. That was when Clara began to venture over to her husband and his mysterious new friend. She couldn't actually tell if they'd just met or whether they had actually met before.

"Hey." Clara greeted as she approached.

The Doctor turned at the sound of her voice and smiled.

"Hey you." he greeted before pulling her into his side and kissing the top of her head.

Jack frowned slightly. At first he thought he had got an idea about who the man was, after all, the dress sense was a major clue, not many people would attempt to pull it off… and succeed. However, after witnessing him and how he interacted with that young woman, he wasn't so sure…

The Doctor turned back to Jack and shrugged his shoulders a little.

"Well?" he asked.

Jack gulped slightly. "Doctor?" he questioned.

The Doctor's face immediately broke into a smile and he came across almost childlike.

"Hello." he greeted.

Jack's eyes widened a little before looking up and down his clothing and then back up at his face.

"A bowtie, seriously?" he quizzed.

The Doctor nodded before straightening it with his free hand.

"Bowties are cool." he confirmed.

Jack laughed slightly. "Who told you that?" he questioned.

The Doctor rolled his eyes before closely examining Jack's face.

"Have you had some more work done?" he queried.

Jack scoffed. "You can talk!" he cried, "Hang on, didn't we have this debate last time?"

The Doctor laughed slightly. "I'll take that as a 'yes' then." he told him.

Jack rolled his eyes before turning to look down at Clara.

"I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself." he apologised, "Captain Jack Harkness and who are you?"

"Stop it!" the Doctor said once again.

"I am just, saying, 'hello'!" Jack protested.

Clara smiled at his hint of frustration. "I don't mind." she confirmed, taking Jack's attention away from the Doctor and back to her.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and looked down at his wife who met his gaze with a smile.

"Oh, really?" he questioned.

Clara giggled at his expression. "God, you really are a jealous one, ain't ya?"

The Doctor stood up taller and continuously straightened his bowtie.

"I am n… No, I'm… No… Oh, shut up!" he cried.

Jack smirked as the Doctor turned a slight shade of scarlet.

"Oh, I'm loving this." he admitted, "Speechless, that's gotta be a first."

Clara turned to look up at Jack and smiled at him.

"You girl are good." Jack complimented, "And your name is?"

She giggled a little. "Clara." she replied.

"Clara…" Jack repeated, "Lovely name, 'Clara'."

"Thanks." she expressed.

The Doctor cleared his throat a little resulting in both Clara and Jack smiling as he stood there, feeling slightly like a third wheel.

Clara tilted her head slightly and rolled her eyes as she took the cup of water out of the Doctor's hand.

"Thank you." she told him, "You are jealous old fool."

"I am not _jealous._" he restated.

Jack raised his eyebrow a little. "Really?" he asked, "God, I'd hate to see you when you are then."

Clara giggled at her dumbfounded husband before wrapping her arms around his sides and sinking into his chest. Within moments, the three of them were talking about everything and nothing, like they'd all known each other for years. While the Doctor and Jack reminisced about 'old times', Clara listened intensely and spoke up where she could. To be fair, just hearing about the Doctor's past intrigued her a lot. That was a topic he tended not to mention that often.

Unbeknown to the trio, they had attracted the attention of a young girl stuck in the crowd. She hadn't even intended to end up at the Carmen, she certainly hadn't intended to see them, but she was so glad she had. It had been a long time, for her at the very least. She had been tempted to go and say 'hello' but judging by how young they looked, she was pretty sure it was too early.

She sighed and was about to continue on her way out when a hand tapped her shoulder. She jumped slightly and quickly spun around only to look up at a man towering above her. Then again, that wasn't an unusual position to be in as most adults towered above her.

"Are you okay, little girl?" he asked, his accent as far away from French as possible.

She nodded sceptically. It was rare anybody ever took any notice of her, or noticed her at all for that matter…

"Yes." she answered, "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter." he told her.

She scoffed slightly. "It does if you want to continue talking to me." she pointed out.

He smirked slightly, and it wasn't a smirk that she found all that pleasant.

"Who said anything about talking?" he queried.

It was then that he grabbed for her wrist, his grip tightening to a point where her hand almost went completely numb.

She gasped before futilely attempting to pull herself away.

"Get off me!" she cried.

She watched in horror as his eyes started to fill with some type of black ink-like substance. It was almost as if his pupils had sprung a leak. She couldn't deny it, she was afraid.

"Let go!" she pleaded.

It amazed her that not one person around had noticed her struggling. She was only a child, merely ten years old, and he was a strong, beefy man attempting to drag her away. Why, why hadn't anybody noticed?

It was then that she screamed, a scream so loud that it even broke through the music.

The man growled in annoyance at her as she began to shake with fear. Whatever he wanted her for, it certainly wasn't pleasant.

"Shut up!" he spat.

The Doctor, Jack and Clara immediately spun around on their heels at the sound of the scream, the scream which more than definitely had originated from a child, a scared child.

The Doctor's jaw dropped in horror when he saw the man attempting to pull a little girl along with him. At first glance it appeared as if he could have lifted her with ease but on a second look, it did appear that she was stopping him. She must have been incredibly strong, either that or he was a lot weaker than he looked.

The Doctor swiftly turned to Jack and a split second after meeting each other's eye contact, they broke out into a sprint, both of them dashing over to the man. While Jack immediately grabbed the man and pulled him away from the little girl, the Doctor grabbed her and pulled her away from his reach.

The crowds gathered within moments and the amount of gasping that escaped the women's mouths actually made Clara laugh. They were treating it as if it were some sort of show, not that the little girl had actually been grabbed by the stranger and almost kidnapped.

The girl gulped as Jack held the man back along with a couple of Frenchmen who had realised that the attack was actually real.

"Oi!" Jack cried, "Enough!"

The man continued to struggle for a few more moments before eventually giving up. There was no way he could fight against three people.

"Alright everybody." the Doctor started, addressing the crowd, "Nothing to see here."

It took the crowd a few moments before eventually dissipating. It was then that the Doctor turned to the little girl whose breathing was slowly normalising. He frowned a little when he saw her face properly, he was sure he had seen her somewhere before. The shade of her brown hair and eyes were oddly familiar but he couldn't remember where from.

He crouched down and met her eye level.

"You okay?" he questioned softly.

She gulped a little and he could see she was close to tears. She just stared at him for a few moments before dashing off, past Clara and towards a large fountain at the back of the arena.

The Doctor was about to follow when he heard Jack grunt as the man broke free. He was about to follow the little girl but the Doctor, Jack and the Frenchmen dove back into action and attempted to restrain him once again.

Meanwhile, after making brief eye contact with her husband, Clara ran after the little girl and followed her past the fountain and through the rose gardens. A couple of times she attempted to shake her off her tail but Clara wasn't giving up that easily.

As she turned around the next flower bed, she found herself almost in a head on collision with the little girl.

They both gasped in surprise, however, Clara managed to smile after a moment yet the little girl just froze on the spot.

"You okay?" Clara asked her.

The girl was about to turn and run but Clara reached for her hand and grabbed it softly.

"Don't…" she trailed off when she felt an almighty burning sensation shoot through her hand, "Ow!"

She immediately pulled her hand away and rubbed it with the other, quickly examining it to make sure there wasn't a mark.

It took a moment but she then looked back up at the little girl who was about to run once again.

"No don't." Clara begged, "Don't run, please don't run."

The little girl sighed and nodded slightly.

"Thank-you." expressed Clara before she smiled down at her.

The little girl smiled weakly up at her.

"Are you okay?" Clara asked once again.

The girl nodded before gripping what appeared to be some sort of silver necklace around her neck.

"I'm Clara." she introduced, "What's your name?"

The little girl shrugged her shoulders which resulted in Clara crouching down and meeting her eye level.

"It's okay." she promised.

The little girl sighed before smiling softly over at her.

"Belle." she responded timidly, "My name's Belle."

Clara's smile grew. "That's a beautiful name." she complimented, "Doesn't 'belle' mean beautiful in French?"

Belle laughed slightly. "My Mum told me that." she told her.

Clara nodded. "And where's your Mum now?" she asked.

Belle sighed and shook her head. "I lost her." she answered, "But she's closer than I think."

Clara frowned slightly. "Do you need help findin' her?" she asked.

Belle shook her head. "I can't." she admitted, "I really have to go now. Goodbye."

Belle turned and walked away but not before Clara called after her.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she queried.

Belle nodded once again before smiling over at her and continuing on her way. It didn't take long before she turned off and disappeared from Clara's sight.

Clara sighed and just stood there for a few moments. There was something about that little girl which haunted her. Not only did she look very familiar, but she appeared to be very sad and very, very lonely. She couldn't explain it exactly but there was just something about her which tugged on her heartstrings.


	12. Perfectly Normal

Chapter 12: Perfectly Normal

Jack was still amazed at the difference of the TARDIS control room. The old one had been very bright but this one seemed gloomier… Odd considering the Doctor seemed much happier than he had ever seen him. However, there was a sort of magic in that new model which made it seem much more alive yet much more like a machine. Whatever it was, she still hated him, he knew that. Then again, he was an anomaly which couldn't be explained away. It was in her instincts to hate him.

"So, how long's it been like this?" Jack asked the Doctor when he appeared from the level underneath him.

The Doctor considered it before dumping a load of bits and pieces onto the floor in order to free his hands. Jack took a quick look at the items while the Doctor continued to think about his response. There were at least half a dozen pieces of pipe-like components, colourful wires bent into different shapes and another dozen things he couldn't even describe as they looked like nothing he had ever seen before.

"About a year, in human terms anyway" the Doctor replied before abandoning the items and moving over to work at the console.

Jack smiled as he watched him work. It had been a long time since he had seen him and although he had a new face, just spending time with him again was deeply satisfying.

"Don't suppose my old room's still here?" he asked.

"Um…" the Doctor began before clicking a button and pulling a lever, "It is now. Down that corridor, second door on the right."

Jack turned to look at the corridor which he was referring to before nodding slightly.

"Thanks." he expressed, "So how long have you two been together?"

The Doctor scratched the side of his face. "Not sure." he confessed, "I might be a Timelord but I don't keep track of time that well."

Jack smiled slightly. "And you're married?" he queried.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "What is this?" he asked, "Twenty questions?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Am I not allowed to ask?" he quizzed,

The Doctor rolled his eyes before removing his jacket and tossing it over the bar.

"Five weeks." he answered to his earlier question, "We've been married five weeks."

Jack smirked. "I take it my invitation got lost in the Time Vortex?"

The Doctor laughed a little before nodded. "Yeah that's it…" he teased, "But no. We didn't invite anyone. It was just a little private ceremony on a beach."

Jack tilted his head slightly to the side. "It's funny." he stated, "Never imagined you as a married man."

"Yeah…" agreed the Doctor as he sieved though his memories, "Nine was never really into the whole family thing, Ten was…"

"Cheeky." interrupted Jack.

The Doctor smiled. "Cheeky." he concurred, remembering Jack calling him that when he met him as Ten for the first time, "And then there's me…"

Jack smiled as the Doctor broke away from his eye contact and began to fiddle with the golden wedding ring sat on his finger.

"Well, goodnight Doctor." Jack stated after a moment.

The Doctor looked back up at him and smiled. "Night." he responded before Jack disappeared down the stairs and out of the room.

The Doctor sighed to himself before turned back to the console. His mind then raced through everything that had happened to him and Clara over the last few days. Yes, he was glad they'd gotten her checked out and rather happy to discover he was to become a Dad once again, but there was something at the back of his mind which was bugging him, a lot…

With the click of a few buttons, he pulled up some data about Clara's scans. His most immediate attention returned to the original pregnancy test. Although when he scanned her now the scanner said positive, he couldn't understand why it had come up inconclusive. Then again, maybe he was just looking to deep into it.

He then continued to pull up all the information about Bronwin and her seven incarnations. His fact files on each were all filed in now but he still couldn't put it all together. However, he now had a plausible theory which explained the majority of the things about her that he had seen… but there were still certain elements which he couldn't understand. It wasn't so much as _who _she was anymore, it was more _what _was she?

x-[]-x

He had considered on numerous occasions whether or not he should go to bed. It wasn't that he was tired, but like most nights now, he liked to lie at Clara's side. Not only was it because he liked to be in close proximity to her, he liked to be there when she had yet another one of her nightmares. Although he couldn't actually stop them, he didn't want her to face them alone.

While he was in the process of trying to upgrade the console, the TARDIS suddenly shuddered for a moment. He quickly grabbed hold of the console as he lost his balance but as the shuddering only lasted several seconds, it wasn't long before he was back on his feet.

"What was that about?" he queried, pulling the screen around to him in order to scan the area.

However, there was nothing that he could see which warranted that reaction from the TARDIS. It didn't make sense… everything was perfectly normal…

Clara shot up from her bed, her hands entangled in the covers. Her breathing was heavy and her face plastered in sweat despite the fact that the bedroom was rather cold.

The images she had just seen weren't pleasant, and that was putting it nicely. Usually she would have dismissed them for just being another nightmare but there was something, she didn't know what, but there was something about those particular images which felt different, scarily different.

Without a second thought, she whipped her legs out of bed and let her feet feel the floor in search of her slippers, or at least any type of warm footwear which she usually left at the side of the bed. After finding them and slipping them on, she retrieved her silk dressing gown from the dresser and wrapped it around herself before heading out of the room.

Her steps were rapid, almost as quick and sharp as her breathing. Although she had the general idea about where the control room was, she knew the TARDIS had a tendency to move certain rooms around. It wasn't normally that extreme, usually it was to help her find certain rooms or keep her away from others, but she sincerely hope that at that time, the control room would be where she expected it to be.

She frantically walked down the metal corridors, deeply startled as she walked head first into Jack after turning a corner.

She gasped as he caught her shoulders to stop her face planting his chest.

"Whoa!" he cried, "You alright?"

She nodded up at him. "W-What are doin'?" she queried.

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'm _trying_ to find my room but, I don't think my friend here wants me to find it." he explained as he tapped the wall with his fingertips.

Clara frowned a little. "She won't help you find your room?" she questioned.

"Oh no, I found it." he informed her, "Then I sneezed, blinked momentarily and then it was gone… I shouldn't be surprised really, she's never really liked me."

Usually Clara would have found that slightly amusing but her mind was filled with too many unpleasant images for her to enjoy that fact.

Jack could see that something was wrong as she definitely wasn't the happy, bubbly person he had met earlier that day.

"Are you okay?" she queried.

Clara couldn't lie, no matter how much she wanted too, and she found herself shaking her head in response.

"Excuse me." she said before pushing past him and heading towards the control room.

She walked a little further and turned through the main passage which connected the corridor with the room she was indeed looking for.

"Doctor?" she called quietly, her voice not going much higher without her physically shouting.

The Doctor immediately looked up at her call. He frowned and crossed the floor in order to lean on the bar as he looked down at her.

"Clara?" he queried, "What are you doing up? I just put you to bed."

Jack entered the control room moments later but remained on the outskirts, careful not to get too close to her as she looked very jumpy, maybe even paranoid about something.

The Doctor examined his wife closely before travelling down the steps and meeting her teary gaze. She was shaking rather violently; he couldn't tell whether that was due to tiredness, coldness or fear. Whichever it was, he didn't like it…

"What's wrong?" he queried.

Clara looked up towards the console before looking back at her husband's worried gaze.

"What happened?" she asked him.

The Doctor frowned. "What do you mean 'what happened'?" he enquired.

"What 'appened on the planet?" she quizzed.

The Doctor briefly made eye contact with Jack who looked equally as confused as he felt before looking back at Clara.

"What planet?" he asked her.

Clara sighed. "A minute ago, the TARDIS shook due to a shockwave which originated from a planet." she told him, "But what 'appened? What caused the shockwave?"

The Doctor's frown intensified as he placed his hand on the side of her face and began stroking the area just under her ear.

"How do you know all this?" he questioned, his concern growing more and more every minute.

Clara looked up at him like it should have been obvious. "Because I saw it." she responded.

The Doctor once again exchanged a worried glance with Jack.

"Just show me the planet!" demanded Clara, "Please…"

The Doctor looked back at her once again. He could tell that whatever she had seen, however she had seen it, it was scaring her. The only way to ease her mind was to do what she requested, show her everything was okay.

"Alright." he agreed before taking her hand and walking up the stairs with her, always physically one step ahead.

Jack also followed as the Doctor brought up the only planet they had passed within the last hour or so and displayed it on the screen.

"The planet Kradus Bajoria." he said, allowing both Clara and Jack to view the screen, "Perfectly normal."

The Doctor looked down at Clara who was intensely examining the image on the screen.

"I wanna see it." she told him adamantly, her eyes not leaving the image for a second, "I wanna see it now."

The Doctor sighed and nodded slowly. "Okay." he agreed before pulling a few levers and landing the TARDIS.

Clara dashed over to the door. The Doctor and Jack soon followed, the Doctor retrieving his jacket in the process and whipping it on.

Clara opened the door hastily and dashed outside, immediately followed by Jack and the Doctor. What greeted them made all of their jaws drop in horror. The Doctor and Jack were the most horrified, Clara had somehow expected it.

The entire environment was dark, a thick black smoke hovering above them and blocking out the sun, making the planet surface seem very cold. Remains of building stood up in front of them, but just barely. The most common sight was just rubble and ash. There was certainly nothing living there, not now.

"What the hell happened here?" Jack queried.

The Doctor shook his head. "No idea." he confessed.

Clara, who was still looking at the remains of what she knew was a town square, gulped.

"They all burnt…" she whispered, "Everything burnt…"

The Doctor looked over at his wife and could see her struggling with whatever it was that she knew.

He slowly walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"They screamed…" she explained, her voice cracking as he cries broke though, "They screamed so loud… The fire came thick and fast, burning them as they screamed… the only thing left is their ashes…"

The Doctor couldn't stand to see her that upset so within seconds, she was in his arms. She sobbed into his chest while he stroked the back of her head.

Jack looked over at the Doctor who was rather worried that Clara somehow knew what had happened before they had even landed.

"Can I ask you something?" asked Jack quietly.

The Doctor nodded.

"If this is your definition of 'perfectly normal'," he started, "What exactly is the definition of _bad _in your books?"


	13. Bad News or Really Bad News?

Chapter 13: Bad News or Really Bad News?

The Doctor had been scanning the vicinity for the past few minutes, anything to get an inkling about what had happened. All he had discovered up to that point was that there had been some sort of explosion, a pretty big one judging by the scale of destruction.

Jack, who was using a scanner of his own, was also attempting to discover the cause at hand. However, he too was struggling to find out why the explosion had occurred. The only lead he had was the levels of radiation present in the atmosphere but at that moment in time, he didn't know what type of radiation it was.

As Clara continued to look around at the area, desperately trying to forget the images of people burning in the space around her, she felt a sharp shiver travel down her spine. It wasn't surprising really, especially as the temperature was probably only a few degrees, possibly not even that. All she knew was that it was cold; then again, the system's sun was being blocked by the blanket of black smoke.

Unknown to her, the Doctor had noticed her shivering and was soon behind her. He smiled softly as he slipped his jacket off and wrapped it around her.

"Here you go." he said softly.

Clara gasped slightly when his hands appeared around her but she gladly accepted the added warmth from the added layer.

"Thanks." she expressed in a whisper as she leant back onto his chest.

The Doctor leant his chin on her shoulder and tightening his embrace around her. Officially it was to warm her up but off the record; he just wanted to feel her next to him again, and Clara certainly wasn't complaining.

"Doctor, come and have a look at this." Jack called.

The Doctor and Clara both turned to face him as he called. The Doctor briefly sighed and kissed the side of Clara's face before pulling away and making his way over to Jack. Clara sighed at the sudden loss of support and proceeded to tighten the Doctor's jacket's grip around her. She definitely wasn't afraid to admit that she was cold.

"What is it?" the Doctor questioned Jack.

Without looking up from his scanning device, Jack turned to face him. Referring to some sort of melted metal piping which stuck up from the ground, Jack began to speak.

"It looks like the power source running through these conduits was monoroxal-based." he explained, "And there's a network of conduits running under the planet's surface, under every city, every home…"

The Doctor's eyes widened a little and he proceeded to scan the remnants of the pipes himself, but not before taking a look at Jack's readings.

"A civilisation powered on monoroxal energy?!" he cried, "Well, I guess that explains the explosion… I mean, they didn't stand a chance."

"I suppose they were lucky." Jack pointed out.

Clara looked over at the two men who were both still busy scanning away and frowned.

"How?" she questioned.

Jack sighed as he looked up. "It would have happened quickly." he answered, "A monoroxal detonation would have swept through the city in seconds."

"So… this was, just an accident?" she attempted to clarify.

The Doctor nodded while Jack continued to scan the area.

"Monoroxal energy is extremely volatile. It's almost impossible to stabilise. One minor glitch in the energy current would make it spark and then… a chain reaction was imminent." he explained, "I guess they didn't know about all the dangers… and they found out the hard way."

Clara looked around at the singed square as the Doctor continued to speak.

"It was only a matter of time. With experimental technology this dangerous…" he trailed off, his voice flooding with grief, "Essentially the network was a time bomb."

Jack shook his head slightly. "I'm not so sure it was experimental technology." he said aloud, resulting with the Doctor and Clara turning to face him, "I mean, the conduits are very old."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow slightly. "So am I." he objected, "What's your point?"

Jack sighed. "They're at least 90 years old, so that means that they'd been channelling monoroxal energy through them for at least 80, 85 years." he pointed out, "That means that the people must have found a way to regulate it… 90 years with no problems and then this… I mean, what changed?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know." he confessed, "I doubt we ever will. All it would have taken was one minor change… a spec of dust hitting the conduit, I don't know… For all we know, they were having problems for years."

"And for all we know, something changed and make it happen unexpectedly." argued Jack.

The Doctor nodded. "Well, we'll never know." he told him, "There's no point debating something that's out of out control."

"We've got a time machine!" interrupted Clara, "Why can't we just go back and see?"

The Doctor shook his head. "For all we know, the TARDIS landing close to the conduits sets it off." he objected.

"But we know it happens." stated Jack, "If that were the case and we didn't go back, the explosion wouldn't have occurred and we wouldn't be standing in their remains now."

The Doctor sighed. "We can't go back. I mean, think about it." he told them, "We know this happens, and if we go back, part of us will want to stop it, and we can't do that."

Clara frowned. "Why not?!" she cried.

The Doctor turned to face his wife. "It'd create a paradox." he explained, "If we go back in time to prevent something we've seen happen, the consequences will be extreme."

Clara gulped and shook her head a little, her frown firmly plastered across her face.

"The consequences surely couldn't be worse than mass annihilation!" she objected.

"They would be…" promised the Doctor softly, "The universe is a cruel place Clara."

Clara sighed and turned away from the Doctor and Jack. She knew that he was telling her the truth as he would usually jump at the chance to help the people. Despite that, it doesn't mean she had to be happy about it.

In the corner of her eye, she spotted some sort of digital watch on display in a window which was still standing. The watch itself was severely burnt but the digits themselves cut through the darkness, displaying the time which she assumed was when the explosion occurred. It read: 30-16-47.

"Look at this." she instructed.

Both Jack and the Doctor looked up and saw her examining the timepiece. She was on the other side of the square from them but was close enough to see through the darkened surroundings.

"I wonder what the numbers stand for." she speculated.

As she gazed at the timepiece, she suddenly heard something, something new. Her eyes widened when she realised that they were voices, voices of children…

She spun around on her heels but when she turned, all she saw was Jack and the Doctor looking around the square.

"What was that?" she enquired.

They both looked up at her, the Doctor exchanging a glance with Jack before slowly approaching her.

"What was what?" he asked.

Clara looked over at the square. "Didn't ya 'ear that?" she questioned.

The Doctor frowned, his concern growing once again while Jack began to examine the surrounding area.

"Hear what?" he quizzed.

"Children, playin'." she responded, "They were as close to me as…"

Clara's words were cut short as the scene in front of her suddenly changed, almost as if she had stepped onto another world. The difference was remarkable. She was certainly in the same square, it was the same shape and size but the difference was that now there were people. The darkness above her was now gone and instead the sun was shining down, making the Doctor's jacket feel very warm around her as the heat changed.

"What the hell…?" she whispered.

She turned back to face the window of the shop which had suddenly repaired. However, the time on the timepiece was still frozen on the previously stopped digits.

She didn't understand and when she felt a hand appear on her shoulder, she couldn't help but let out a small gasp. When she turned back, she saw her rightfully concerned husband looking down at her. Jack was also looking a little worried and when she managed to get her bearing back, she saw that the environment was back to being cold, dark and dead.

"I don't understand…" she whispered, "I was 'ere, in this square, but there were people."

The Doctor gulped a little. "You never left here Clara." he promised.

"But I saw them." she guaranteed, "Lots of people. Children were playin' and the sun was shinin'… there was no evidence of an explosion."

"You were standing here the whole time." the Doctor told her.

Clara began to grow worried. She was sure she hadn't imagined it.

"Doctor, I'm picking up temporal fractures!" Jack cried, his scanner beginning to sound uncontrollably as it passed over the square.

The three of them ended up as close as possible, the Doctor wrapping his arm around Clara's waist and pulling her next to him.

"Where?" he questioned Jack.

Jack gulped as he read his scanner. "Everywhere." he confirmed, "The space-time continuum shattered. Temporal fractures are floating like icebergs across the planet surface."

"Can we get back to the TARDIS?" the Doctor questioned, unable to see his machine as his back was to it.

"There's a fracture surrounding us." Jack explained, "Almost like a ring… and its expanding."

"Oh, brilliant…" Clara muttered.

"I don't get it…" confessed Jack, "I thought shockwave fractures dissipated into the future."

"They do." confirmed the Doctor.

"But what Clara saw was the past." he objected.

"I know." admitted the Doctor, "It's both. The majority do dissipate into the future but there are a few which dissipate into the past. I think it's a ratio of about 9:1."

Clara, who wrapped her arms around the Doctor, gasped a little when Jack stepped on the back of her heel.

"Sorry." he apologised.

"Will one of you please tell me what the hell is going on?!" she demanded.

"You just saw into the planet's past through the edge of a subspace temporal fracture." answered the Doctor, "And there's one surrounding us."

The Doctor and Jack were back to back, both of them feeling rather uncomfortable. Jack was probably the most uncomfortable, especially as he soon found out firsthand that the Doctor's elbows were quite bony when sticking in one's back.

"You know, I know we're close Doctor." he moaned, "But this is ridiculous!"

"I really don't think this is the time, Captain." he pointed out, "Say, can you scan the fracture? Find out whether it dissipates into the past or future?"

"It's a space scanner." he told him, referring to the device in his hand, "It can't read temporal distortions easily!"

The Doctor reached quickly set his screwdriver to the appropriate setting and activated it over his shoulder, pretty sure it was modifying Jack's handheld scanner.

"Try that now." he ordered.

Jack smiled a little as his scanner began to work, much more efficiently than it had before.

"Past or future?" queried the Doctor, talking about the fracture surrounding the three of them.

"Why does it matter?" quizzed Clara, "Can't you just do something about it?!"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders a little. "Well, if it's a future fracture it won't matter anyway." he pointed out, "It will just deposit us sometime in the future still in this place. The TARDIS will still be here."

Jack gulped as he something occur in front of him. "Do you want the bad news or the _really_ bad news?" he questioned.

Both the Doctor and Clara looked as far around as they could; still only managing to see the back of his head.

"What's the bad news?" queried the Doctor.

"The fracture surrounding us dissipates into the past… I can't tell how far." he responded.

Clara gulped a little. "And the _really_ bad news?" she asked.

Jack sighed. "The TARDIS is gone."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Which way?" he quizzed.

Jack looked down at his scanner. "Future." he replied, "About nine days."

"Oh, for God sake…" Clara moaned, "Our only way out… and it's gone!"

The Doctor gasped slightly as he felt his hand suddenly warm up. His grip around Clara's waist tightened and when she looked up at him, she saw him gulp a little.

"Hold on…" he whispered.

She hadn't a clue what he meant but moments later she found out as the world around her began to twirl and twist at a phenomenal speed. She squealed as she was violently tossed around, loosing the Doctor's grip in the process. She felt her head begin to pound as her surroundings spun around her, making her feel even dizzier than she already did. It soon ended, but not after she hit the ground with a rather large and unforgiving thud…


	14. Monsters

Chapter 14: Monsters

Heart pounding, head throbbing, Clara opened her eyes only for them to remain so unfocused that she would have argued until doomsday that the planet was spinning around her. She had to blink several times before managing to focus on her husband looking down at her. Although he was smiling softly as he cradled her head, she could see the hint of concern in his eyes.

Slowly pulling herself up with his assistance, she looked around at the square. She didn't need to be a super clever alien to realise what had just happened… they'd fallen through the fracture into the planet's past.

"You alright?" he queried as he assisted her to the floor.

She nodded briefly before looking over at Jack who was rubbing some type of grey dust off his jacket, but making time to smile over at her before continuing.

"I don't understand…" she confessed, "It didn't 'urt that much the first time."

The Doctor smiled softly. "You didn't go fully through the fracture then." the Doctor pointed out, "Remember, we still saw you standing there."

It was then that they heard him scream. All three of them, Jack, the Doctor and Clara, all turned to face him as the rest of the people in the square stopped dead in their tracks, all curious about the problem.

He was only a child, probably about eight or nine years old. With bright blonde hair, and piercing green eyes, he looked petrified… of them.

Jack, the Doctor and Clara all exchanged worried looks with one another as one of the local security officers approached the boy.

"Hey, calm down!" he told him, bending down to place his hand on his shoulder, "It's all right… Now, what's the problem?"

"I saw them… They appeared out of thin air!" he cried, pointing over at Clara, the Doctor and Jack, "They're monsters! I saw them with my own eyes!"

The Doctor stepped forward as the guard turned to look at them.

"I'm sorry we frightened him." he apologised, "We just came around the corner…"

"They're lying!" the boy cried, causing the guard to look back at him.

"Okay, that's enough… calm down now." the guard ordered, "You've been reading too many of those _Panic Moon _stories, young man… There's no such thing as monsters."

"But…" the boy began.

"Enough." the officer stated, "Run along now. Go have a cookie and, calm down."

The boy gulped as he looked back up at the Doctor and then over at Jack and Clara. It took a few moments before he did as he was told and ran off.

The guard smiled at the Doctor and he stood up while the crowd dispersed.

"Sorry about that." he apologised as he and the Doctor made their way over to Jack and Clara, "Who knows what gets into their heads these days?"

Jack nodded slightly. "Maybe the clothing scared him." Jack suggested, "We're not from this area."

The guard nodded. "Did you come in on the Interstate Monorail?" he queried.

Jack nodded. "This morning." he lied convincingly.

Clara smiled a little. If she hadn't have known any better, she would have sworn he was telling the truth.

"Is, um, that what they're wearing in Upper Kavlac these days?" he questioned, examining the clothing, mostly the dressing gown topped with the Doctor's jacket which Clara was wearing.

"This… is a little more formal than most." the Doctor explained, "You know what it's like when you travel."

"We were actually looking for a clothing shop." Jack continued, "Thought we better change into something more suitable."

Both the Doctor and Clara turned to face him in perfect sync, both completely flabbergasted that he had actually said that. They both knew they had no intention of changing their clothing just to 'fit in' with the locals.

The guard smiled, completely oblivious to the looks Jack was receiving theme is two companions.

"There's one right over there." he told them, pointing to a shop on the opposite side of the square, "I hope the rest of your stay here will be more pleasant."

He smiled at them all before returning back to work. As he did so, the Doctor sighed.

"I really wish I could say it would be." he whispered.

Clara gulped a little as she looked around at the square for the first time. Not only was the sun shining, there were birds singing in the trees. It was almost hard to believe it was the same place as the disaster zone they had landed in.

There were lots of people in the square going about their usual business. All of them were dressed in fitted t-shirts which followed the same thick striped pattern and similar colour schemes of blues and turquoise-greens.

She slowly turned her head and glanced over at the window where she had originally seen the timepiece in the ruined version of the square. Breaking away from the Doctor and Jack, she walked over and spotted the timepiece ticking away behind the glass. At that moment in time, it read: 29-12-21.

"Need a timepiece?" a man queried who appeared at her side.

Clara immediately looked up at him and smiled as he opened the glass and got the device out. Her smile expanded as he showed it to her, allowing her to see it clearly for the first time.

"Perhaps you can help me." she suggested, "I'm from… Upper Kavlac… I'm not used to your timepieces."

The shopkeeper smiled down at her. "There no different to any other timepieces." he guaranteed.

"Are you sure?" she questioned, "I mean, what do these numbers stand for?"

The shopkeeper frowned a little but smiled as he pointed to each number in turn, going left to right.

"Rotations, Intervals, Fractions." he answered, "Same as any timepiece."

Clara nodded in understanding.

"12 karz." the shopkeeper told her.

She looked up and smiled, assuming he was talking about its cost.

"A fair price." she stated, "Unfortunately I ain't got any money on me at the moment. However, I might be comin' back later, and if I can coax some money out my husband I'll come and get it. After all, I'm gonna need a souvenir to take 'ome with me."

The shopkeeper smiled once again. "Would you like me to keep it for you?" he asked her.

Clara shook her head. "I can't guarantee I'll be back." she explained to the understanding shopkeeper, "Thanks anyway."

He nodded as he put the device back into the window. "Have a nice day." he wished.

Clara sighed as he disappeared back into his shop. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Jack made their way over to her.

"Well?" asked the Doctor.

Clara sighed as she removed his jacket and handed it back to him.

"If I understood correctly, this world's going to be destroyed sometime tomorrow." she informed them.

Jack and the Doctor exchanged glances while Clara fell into her husband's embrace. When she had had that dream about the people around her burning, she hadn't expected to actually see them and possible experience the event first hand…

"So what do we do?" quizzed Jack.

The Doctor shook his head slightly. "I don't know…" he admitted.

x-[]-x

Clara had soon found herself in the clothing store, exchanging her silk nightdress and dressing gown for some local attire. While Jack was outside, hopelessly pondering how to proceed with their current predicament, the Doctor sat outside the changing rooms while Clara changed.

She emerged from behind the curtain, her flawless body fitted tightly with a baby-blue striped t-shirt and black legging-type jeans. Her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail and he could tell by the expression on her face that she really wasn't happy.

He sighed and bit his lip in order to stop himself from asking what was wrong. He knew for a fact that she'd probably have killed him if he did.

"It's too tight…" she moaned as she attempted to stretch the fabric over her abdomen.

The Doctor smiled weakly as he stood in front of her and wrapped his hand around her waist. She sighed at his touch and looked up at him towering over her.

"How are we gonna get outta 'ere?" she queried after a moment.

The Doctor sighed and kissed her forehead. "I'm not sure." he confessed as his fingertips lightly danced over the area his lips had just touched, "But we'll find a way."

Clara nodded slightly. "You know I love you, right?" she asked in a whisper, her voice cracking a little.

The Doctor didn't even bother replying. Instead he just leant down and captured her lips in a kiss. Even now, he still didn't think she knew just how much she meant to him.

At that moment, Jack whipped his head through the door of the little shop and caught them in the act. He smiled as they pulled away from each other and looked over at him.

"Where's mine?" Jack queried, resulting in Clara giggling and pulling Jack into a hug.

It was strange. She barely knew who he was but she honestly felt as though she had known him for years.

Jack smirked at the Doctor over Clara's shoulder. "Oh, I was talking to him." he teased as Clara pulled away.

"I'm gonna try and not be offended." she said with a smile.

Jack winked at her before turning to the Doctor, his face straightening instantly.

"I've got an idea." he told him.

The Doctor's face lit up as he interlocked his arms, one with Clara and the other with Jack.

"Well, let's hear it." he demanded.

Outside the shop, the sun still beat down on the planet. Despite the number of people rushing through the city, not one of them had any idea of what fate had in store for them…

"So, what's your thinking?" the Doctor queried Jack.

Jack was about to reply but a groan from Clara interrupted him from doing so.

"Oh, no…" she moaned.

Both the Doctor and Jack turned to see what it was she was looking at. A few yards away, standing as if he were the most important person in the world, was the little boy who had screamed at them when they first arrived. However, this time his eyes were filled with some sort of determination… He clearly had an agenda.

"Oh great…" grumbled the Doctor as he approached them.

Clara felt a small surge of anger run through her. Why, she wasn't sure but it was definitely there.

"I know you're lying." the boy stated.

"Young man, we're here on official business and we have lots of work to do." the Doctor explained.

The boy scoffed. "The officer told me you all came in on the Interstate Monorail."

The Doctor nodded. "Yes." he confirmed, "We're from Upper Kalvac."

The boy shook his head. "Yeah? Well, I've just spoken to the Monorail attendant." he told them, "He told me that six people came from Upper Kalvac today."

Clara rolled her eyes and placed her hand on her hip, mostly for support. It was fair to say that the boy was really annoying her…

"Three of them were a lot older than you, and they had a child with them." he continued.

The Doctor shook his head. "Well the attendant was wrong, that was us." he informed him.

"Yeah?" queried the boy, "So where's the child?"

Jack raised his eyebrow slightly. "We ate him." he stated.

This resulted in both the Doctor and Clara turning to look at him. While the Doctor frowned, Clara couldn't help but smile. She knew it was wrong but part of her couldn't help it. She'd never disliked anyone before, certainly not a child, but that boy was certainly doing her head-in.

"Because we are monsters, and we eat children." Jack continued, "And we haven't had our lunch yet!"

The boy's eyes widened in fear as Jack stomped his foot, making him dart off down the road.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow and attempted to keep a straight face.

"Sorry." apologised Jack, "Thought it'd be the quickest way."

Clara smiled slightly as the Doctor's smile began to break though his frown. He was about to turn back to Jack and let him continue explaining his plan when a sudden gust of wind blew past the three of them, making them loose their balance momentarily.

"_I know you're lying."_ the boy stated, appearing in the same place he had been the first time.

The three of them spun around, their confusion clearly displayed on their faces.

"What…?" whispered the Doctor.

Clara turned to face her husband. "What's goin' on?" she enquired.

The boy frowned before continuing. _"The officer told me you all came in on the Interstate Monorail." _he repeated.

"Jack…?" the Doctor queried.

Jack immediately took his modified scanner out of his pocket and examined the area.

"There's a time loop hovering over us." he explained.

Clara nodded slightly. "And 'ow do we get out of it?" she questioned, completely ignoring the boy rambling.

"Get ready to move…" he ordered, "In 3… 2… 1…"

At the end of the countdown, Clara felt the Doctor drag her away from where she had just been standing before she even had the chance to move herself.

Jack nodded slowly as he read his scanner's results. "Okay, I think we avoided it this time." he told them.

"_So where's the child?" _the boy queried.

The Doctor turned back and was about to reply when out of nowhere, a young girl leaped in front of them. From where he was stood, he couldn't see her face as she was facing the boy.

"I'm here." she stated, "I don't have to be with them all the time, do I?"

The three of them, Clara, the Doctor and Jack, frowned as the girl pretended to be the little girl from their fake party. Why was she doing that? She didn't even know them, did she?

Clara frowned at the sound of the little girl's voice. She was sure she knew it…

"But…" the boy began.

"Go away KaiMon." she ordered, "Leave 'em alone."

He was sceptical at first but soon left them be. It was then that the little girl sighed, knowing she was about the face twenty questions...

"Thanks." expressed the Doctor.

She nodded softly as she turned around. "You're welcome." she whispered.

Clara gasped slightly when she saw her face. "You?" she quizzed.

The little sighed. "Hi…" she greeted timidly.


	15. Nearly Safe

**A/N - As noted by someone, I did take the parts of the last chapter from VOY: Time and Again. The reasons were because after watching it not that long ago, I wanted to see if I could incorporate such a brilliant idea into a Doctor Who format. I did originally plan to change it much more than I did but it was too good to change. However, the rest of the story arc doesn't follow the storyline of the episode so please enjoy x**

* * *

Chapter 15: Nearly Safe

The girl stood before them for several seconds while both the Doctor and Clara blinked several times, mostly just to make sure their eyes weren't playing a trick on them. It was actually Jack who spoke first.

"Hello." he greeted, "Do I know you?"

The little girl shrugged her shoulders. She knew for a fact that she'd seen him before, and at least one of those times he had seen her, however, it was only briefly so it was understandable that he didn't recognise her.

It was then Clara who stepped forward, her frown deeply engraved onto her face.

"Belle?" she whispered.

The little girl smiled up at her and sighed. "Hello." she greeted.

Clara shook her head in a small state of disbelief. "What are you doin' 'ere?" she questioned.

Belle sighed. "Well, I was attempting to land on Clarissia IV but I couldn't jump all the way so I aborted the jump and tried to land somewhere safe." she explained, "However, this isn't really what I had in mind… especially with what's gonna happen tomorrow."

The Doctor frowned. "You know about that?" he queried.

Belle nodded. "Course I do." she confirmed.

The Doctor looked down at her. "How do you travel?" he questioned, "I mean, you don't have a ship."

Belle smiled. "Sometimes I have a ship." she pointed out, "But most the time by other means."

Clara shook her head slightly. "I don't understand…" she admitted, "Who are you?"

The little girl shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Belle." she confirmed.

"No, who are you to us?" queried the Doctor.

Belle bit her lip a little and looked away momentarily. "A friend." she brought herself to say, "Nothing more."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow a little. "Really?" he queried.

Belle nodded adamantly. "Really." she answered.

Clara still wasn't afraid to admit she was baffled… by a lot of things.

"I still don't get it." she confessed, "If ya know what's gonna 'appen tomorrow, what ya still doin' 'ere?"

Belle sighed and rubbed the back of her hand with her thumb.

"I can't transport away yet." she admitted, "I'm not strong enough."

Jack frowned slightly himself and also stepped forward.

"What's your personal strength gotta do with it?" he enquired.

Belle laughed to herself. "Everything." she responded.

She turned away from Jack and looked up at the Doctor. His soft face was plastered with his frown and his eyes seemed to burn into her, almost as if he was trying to discover everything with a simple stare.

"Where are your parents?" he questioned, "Why are you always alone?"

Belle sighed and attempted to once again ease the tension by laughing softly.

"What is this?" she queried, "Twenty questions?"

Jack smirked a little. He couldn't deny that he found it slightly funny that this little girl, whoever she was, had just used a line on the Doctor that he had used on him earlier that day.

The Doctor didn't bother to try and chase up that answer but he did have another question dancing through his head.

"Why do we keep running into you?" he quizzed.

Belle gulped slightly and looked over the three of them before turning back to the Doctor.

"When was the last time you saw me?" she asked.

"Two days ago." replied the Doctor before looking down at Clara, "Or was it yesterday…?"

Belle shrugged her shoulders, interrupting his train of thoughts.

"Okay, more appropriate question: _Where_ did you last see me?" she asked.

"The Carmen in Paris." he responded.

Belle's eyes widened a little. "Gosh… that was almost a year ago." she remembered, "For me anyway."

Belle was about to continue when she spotted someone appear on the horizon, making her body tense immediately.

"Damn…" she muttered before instinctively ducking slightly, making sure the Doctor, Clara and Jack were all hiding her location.

Clara and the Doctor quickly looked around but couldn't see anything obvious which had had frightened her so suddenly.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor queried.

Belle gulped as she saw the man examine his surrounds, certainly looking for something, or someone.

"Look, I gotta go." she told them, "Besides, I've got a feeling you're gonna be busy today... You don't want me in the way."

The Doctor, Clara and Jack all watched as the little girl dashed down the road, quickly turning down a street and disappeared from their view.

Jack looked over at the Doctor who exchanged a quick glance with Clara before looking at him.

"Who is she?" he questioned.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "No idea." he confessed, "Anyway, you mentioned a plan…?"

Jack eyes lit up and his lips curled into a large grin. "Well…"

x-[]-x

Clara was sat on a bench near to the original position where the TARDIS had landed in the ruined version of the square after looking at the time displayed on the timepiece in the window. She had to make sure she hadn't been spotted by the keeper; after all, she still couldn't buy it. It was 30-12-21, a mere four hours until the explosion. She sincerely hoped that they would find a way to leave soon…

While Jack was explaining his 'ingenious' plan to the Doctor, she watched the people around her pass in a daze. She felt her eyes begin to water when she saw a young mother walk past with three young children. The two eldest were chasing one another, laughing the entire time. Meanwhile, the youngest one was asleep in her arms while she spoke to an elderly gentleman who appeared to be the owner of the shop they were stood outside of.

She sighed as the two young children ran over the grass patch in the middle of the square. They were so young and care-free. They had no idea that danger was only hours away…

While the Doctor ran the plan throughout his head, Jack looked over at Clara. He could see she was upset but he daren't go over. He had a feeling that whatever was bothering her was more than just their foreknowledge of the explosion.

"Is she okay?" he questioned the Doctor.

He immediately turned to look at her and sighed. He nodded slightly when he turned back to Jack.

"Yeah." he replied softly.

Jack raised his eyebrow a little. "Really?" he queried.

The Doctor sighed. "She's pregnant, Jack." he explained.

Jack's eyes widened. "Oh…" he realised.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah…" he confirmed.

Jack frowned slightly. "But… I didn't think humans could carry Timelord offspring."

The Doctor sighed. "Anything under a third of Gallifreyan DNA easily." he explained.

Jack's frown intensified. "Yeah, but isn't the baby _half _Timelord?" he questioned.

The Doctor nodded.

"So, how is she carrying it?" he queried.

The Doctor sighed. "A long time ago, I used regeneration energy to save her life…" he told him, "That's probably helped her body adapt. Otherwise, there's no way it would have been possible."

Jack nodded in understanding.

"Well, can you please excuse me?" he wished with a smile.

Jack smiled before the Doctor left him and made his way over to his wife. Clara noticed him sit down next to her but she didn't turn to face him, she couldn't…

It didn't take him long to notice the tears running down her face as she watched the two young children playing.

"How do ya 'andle it?" she asked, "How can you be okay with knowin' they'll all be dead this time tomorrow?"

The Doctor sighed as he interlocked his fingers with hers.

"I suppose… I just do." he told her, "I don't like it, but there's nothing that can be done."

Clara bit her lip and looked over at the young baby sleeping in his mother's arms.

"Look at that child over there." she ordered the Doctor, "How old is he? Four, five months? Tomorrow he'll be dead… tomorrow he'll have burnt along with everybody else."

The Doctor sighed. "Clara… there's nothing we can do." he told her once again.

Clara turned to face him for the first time during that conversation, her eyes filled with tears.

"If it was our baby, would like it?" she asked him, "If it was our baby screaming… dying… would you like it?"

The Doctor gulped at the idea. "Of course not!" he answered, "You know if anything could be done, I'd do it."

She nodded slightly and looked down at her lap. "Course I do." she whispered.

The Doctor leant forward and kissed the top of her head while she protectively wrapped her arms around her stomach.

Jack cautiously approached the two of them. "You two ready to go?" he queried.

Clara quickly dried her eyes with her hands before looking up at him and then the Doctor.

"Where we goin'?" she questioned as the Doctor stood up and assisted her to her feet.

Jack smiled incredibly weakly. "There's a transmitter about half a mile away." he informed her.

Clara frowned slightly as the Doctor wrapped his hand around her waist. "So?"

Jack continued as they began to head out of the square and along the broken cobbled road.

"The Doctor can use the sonic to simulate the radiation levels during the point of the explosion," he explained, "and I can use the transmitter to transmit a pulse which should create a fracture we can use to get back into the future. The TARDIS will still be there."

Clara frowned slightly. "But, ya can't guarantee that the fracture will dissipate into the future, can ya?" she queried.

Jack shook his head slightly. "No I can't." he confessed, "But with 9 out of 10 odds, I'll gladly take that chance."

x-[]-x

The walk to the transmitter station was relatively short but it didn't feel it, especially as the ground was so uneven. Seriously, the amount of hills and ditches they had to cross was ridiculous. Luckily, they easily got into transmitter control. The fact that the Doctor's psychic paper stated they were health and safety officers probably was a big help.

The transmitter itself was rather big, at the very least 20 foot off the ground. Usually there would have been guards all around it, not like they were ever needed; mostly they were there to make sure that people didn't hurt themselves when maintaining it. However, thanks to the Doctor and Jack's excellent persuasion skills, the entire section of the station was empty.

The three of them were stood under the base of the transmitter when the Doctor began to programme the correct details into his screwdriver in order to simulate the desired conditions. It was then that a bright golden light flashed next to them, making them all look away momentarily. By the time they managed to look back, all they could see was the little girl, Belle as Clara had identified her as, stood next to them.

The Doctor barely had enough time to process what had just happened before she began to speak.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she cried.

The Doctor frowned slightly. "Well, we're about to get out of here." he explained, "You're welcomed to join us."

Belle frowned as the Doctor turned to continue with whatever it was he was doing.

"You're leaving?" she enquired, clearly shocked by the action.

Clara raised her eyebrow slightly. "Why wouldn't we?" she asked.

Belle looked up at her and then back over to the Doctor who had momentarily stopped in order to look at her.

"I thought… you'd do something about the explosion." she whispered.

The Doctor shook his head. "We can't interfere in this planet's natural course of events." he explained.

"Natural?!" she exclaimed, "How's it natural when there are aliens involved?"

"Aliens?" queried Jack.

"Yeah, the…" she trailed off when she saw the confusion surfacing on their faces, "You don't know what causes the explosion, do you?"

"The instability of the monoroxal energy…?" Jack stated but ended up questioning.

Belle smiled weakly before turning to face the Doctor.

"You have no reason to trust me; I get that." she said to him, "But please, just go to the power plant on the other side of the city… See what's actually happening in there, and then tell me you can't interfere."

The Doctor bit his lip lightly and sighed. "Where exactly?" he quizzed.

"Half a mile on the other side of the square." she answered, "Module Two… use the side door."

The Doctor nodded slowly. "This better be good." he warned.

Belle smiled softly. "There's one thing you're gonna learn about me… Doctor." she continued after a slight hesitation, "I need you… and I need you to do this."

The Doctor smiled softly at her. "Okay." he agreed, "How long have we got?"

Belle glanced down at a watch on her wrist, one set to the local time.

"Three and half hours." she responded.

"Okay…" he whispered, "Okay, we'll go…"


	16. Rewritten

Chapter 16: Rewritten

After crossing the annoyingly uneven ground, the trio found themselves back in the square. Although Belle had given them brief directions towards the power plant, they had no idea where to go from their current position.

"So, where to now?" questioned Jack who was just as stumped as the Doctor.

"Beats me…" he confessed as he glanced around the square before spotting the young boy they had seen when they first arrived.

He was stood on the grassed area in the centre of the square, looking directly at them. As soon as the Doctor's made eye contact with him, he puffed his chest out in attempt to look bigger, making the Doctor sigh as he pulled his hand from Clara's.

"Oh, I'm so gonna regret this…" he muttered before heading over to him.

He slowly approached the boy and smiled falsely.

"What do you want?" the boy queried as he stopped in front of him.

The Doctor shuffled on the spot, clearly not wishing to answer with what he was about to.

"Help." he replied after physically forcing the word out of his mouth.

The boy frowned. "And why should I help you?!" he interrogated, "You made me look like a fool… and I know you're lying!"

The Doctor sighed. "Look, I haven't got time to argue." he explained, "Just answer me one question and I'll go away."

The boy sighed heavily. "What?" he quizzed.

The Doctor briefly looked around the square before looking back at the boy.

"How do I get to the power plant?" he asked.

The boy's frown intensified. "Why'd you wanna go there?" he questioned.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows momentarily. "I promised I'd help a little girl." he answered.

"What's that gotta do with anything?!" cried the boy.

The Doctor breathed out deeply to stop himself from snapping.

"Look…" he began, "I'm trying to save your world, but you're not making it easy for me, KaiMon!"

The boy gulped slightly. "How-How do you know my name?" he enquired.

"I remember Belle called you it…" he explained, "Now where's the power plant?"

"Why should I tell you?" he questioned.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "Because you'll dead in a few hours if you don't."

KaiMon gulped once again. "Is that a threat?" he quizzed.

The Doctor sighed. "It's a fact." he stated, "Now, where's the plant?"

It took a moment but finally the boy gave in and pointed down the road which led out of the square.

"Just down there." he informed him.

The Doctor smiled softly. "Thank-you." he expressed.

x-[]-x

After another annoyingly uneven road, although that time they were prepared for it, they reached the power plant. However when they got there, they saw it was heavily guarded by at least ten guards on the main gate alone.

"How are we supposed to get in there?" queried Jack.

"Didn't Belle say use the side gate?" Clara remembered.

At that moment, they were hid behind thick green bushes about ten metres away from the main entrance, all looking for the desired gate.

"We need to cause a distraction." Jack put forward.

The Doctor nodded slightly, his eyes never leaving the guards. "Any ideas?" he quizzed.

Jack smirked and pulled a particle weapon out of his pocket. "I've got a gun." he explained.

The Doctor snapped his neck around and Clara would have sworn that if looks could kill, Jack wouldn't have been breathing any longer.

"Don't you dare!" the Doctor warned through his teeth.

Jack scoffed. "Oh, don't be stupid. I'm not gonna shoot them." he stated, "I'm just gonna distract them."

Clara's jaw dropped.

"If they see you with a gun, they'll shoot you on the spot." the Doctor pointed out.

"So?" Jack whispered.

"So?!" cried Clara, "Jack its suicide!"

Jack shook his head slightly before looking back up at the Doctor.

"Think about it!" he told him, "If they're focused on killing me, you'll be able to get inside, and when I'm _dead_, they'll drag me inside too."

Clara seriously couldn't believe her ears. "Are ya hearin' yourself?!" she cried, "You'll be dead!"

The Doctor's eye's widened in realisation. "Oh… Oh, that's good." he complimented.

Jack winked before straightening his coat. "Right." he stated, "See you in a bit."

"Jack!" Clara exclaimed.

However, he continued on his way, gripping his gun and heading directly for the guarded entrance. Clara gulped as the guards suddenly noticed and primed their weapons at him.

"Doctor, ya can't let 'im do this!" she exclaimed when she turned back to face him.

The Doctor sighed as he slowly pulled her along with him. He smiled a little when he spotted the side entrance and began to head towards it.

"Doctor!" cried Clara, "Doctor, you have to stop him!"

The Doctor stopped briefly and cupped his wife's face in his hands. He could see that she was scared for him and due to that, her eyes were beginning to water. Part of him still hadn't realised that she didn't know about Jack's immorality.

"Clara listen to me." he demanded, "He'll be okay. I promise."

Clara shook his head as she heard weapon's fire behind her.

"He's gonna get himself killed." she whispered as her eyes began to expel excess tears.

The Doctor nodded softly. "Probably…" he agreed, "But he'll be fine."

"He's gonna die!" she exclaimed, "How can you be okay with that?!"

"Clara please come on." he whispered, "I don't want them to see us…"

She quickly glanced back over her shoulder as the Doctor continued to usher her away. She couldn't see Jack nor the guards but she could hear them shouting and firing their weapons. However, what was baffling her the most was that the Doctor was okay with that… Had he completely lost his mind?!

Once inside the plant, the two of them immediately ducked as more guards approached the main gates. Clara watched intensely, hoping Jack would burst through any second now...

Hiding behind more shrubbery, the Doctor bit his lip as the guards suddenly slowed down. Clara also noticed and felt her heart begin to pound in her chest… something had happened…

"Doctor…?" she whispered.

It was then that she spotted four guards dragging Jack's limp body into the plant. Her heart twisted within moments and she felt her eyes burst.

"You said he'd be okay!" she shouted in a whispered tone as she turned to face the Doctor, "But he's not! He's dead!"

The Doctor felt his hearts begin to throb. Obviously she didn't understand Jack's unique physiology as he hadn't had time to explain.

"Clara, he's gonna be okay." he promised.

"He'd dead!" she repeated.

The Doctor smiled softly and shook his head.

"He's not…" he whispered before turning back to look at the guards who had dumped Jack's body onto the floor.

While they were all debating what to do with him, the Doctor lifted his screwdriver and aimed it at a large power line above the main gates. He swiftly activated the device and within seconds, the line collapsed, making the guards scarper. During the chaos, Clara was amazed to see Jack stand up with ease and run away from them, completely unnoticed.

"What…?" she whispered.

The Doctor smiled softly and gripped her hand. "Come on." he ordered.

With their hands interlocked, they quickly met up with Jack and ran along side of him until they reached the door of Module Two. While the Doctor looked for a way to unlock it, Clara took the opportunity to regain her breath. She supposed it was the pregnancy which was making her feel so tired and breathless all of a sudden.

Seconds later, the Doctor managed to open the door and ushered both Jack and Clara inside before entering himself. They entered into a small corridor, just bright enough to make out each others outline. At the end of the corridor, there was an unnaturally bright light green glow. That's where they needed to go…

The Doctor led the way, cautiously walking towards it. As he got closer, he could hear muffled voices chatting away, certainly not people of that world.

He slowly popped his head around the corner, soon followed by Clara and Jack.

"What the 'ell is this…?" Clara queried.

The Doctor gulped. "Trouble." he whispered.

Clara gasped suddenly when she felt large cold hands appear on her shoulders. The Doctor and Jack turned to see one of the aliens behind her.

Jack gulped. "Definitely trouble." he agreed.

x-[]-x

They were all sat down in front of the alien the Doctor assumed was the one in charge. With broad shoulders and large ridges extending across his forehead, he certainly wouldn't have been able to pass as a local.

The room itself was rather stuffy and bright, not surprisingly as an open plasma conduit was mere metres away. There were about fifteen aliens in the room, all of them hard at work but avoiding getting too close to the conduit. Not surprising as it had the ability to suck people in if they got too near...

"Doctor." the one in charge stated as he sat down opposite him.

The Doctor's eyes widened a little. "You know me?"

The alien smiled. "You're reputation preceeds you." he stated.

The Doctor sighed. "Well, yours doesn't." he pointed out, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm Commander Brane-Tox of the Wylefox Defence Committee." he introduced, "My team and I are here on official business."

The Doctor frowned. "What have you got against this planet?" he questioned, "I've never known the Wylefoxians have a problem with the Skaifoids."

Clara slowly leaned in towards Jack. "Skaifoids?" she queried, "Are they the people of this planet?"

Jack nodded in response.

"We don't have a problem with this planet or its people." Brane-Tox confirmed.

"Then what are you doing here?" enquired the Doctor.

"We've been employed to do the bidding of the Darkness." he explained.

The Doctor's frown intensified. "The what?" he questioned.

However, Clara's attention suddenly piqued. 'The Darkness', had she heard that right…? Surely he wasn't referring to something she had heard about in her nightmares for so many weeks…

"The Darkness." Brane-Tox repeated, "Its rising, Doctor."

He sniggered slightly. "What, am I supposed to be frightened by that?" he queried.

"Very." stated the alien.

Suddenly, an alien burst in dragging KaiMon by the ear. At that moment he was wearing a perception filter to hide his features but he soon deactivated it.

"Let me go!" KaiMon cried.

"I found it, sir." the alien reported, "I found the child."

The Commander rolled his eyes and got up onto his feet.

"That's not the child!" he cried.

The new alien frowned. "But, he was speaking to them." he objected.

"I was speaking to them!" the Commander cried, pointing back at the Doctor, Clara and Jack, "That doesn't mean I'm the child, does it?!"

"Oh…" the alien realised, "Well he's seen us, what do I do with him?"

Brane-Tox looked down at KaiMon before shrugged his shoulders.

"Might as well get rid of him." he stated, "Throw him in the plasma stream."

The Doctor's eye's widened in horror, so did Jack's when he realised the time.

"Doctor, we've got seconds!" he cried.

The Doctor's jaw dropped when he saw KaiMon struggling against the alien who was dragging him towards the burning monoroxal energy plasma.

"It's him…" he whispered, "It's his death which causes it…"

Jack nodded in agreement. "A minor pause in the plasma flow…" he realised.

The Doctor gulped and shot up from his seat. "STOP!" he screamed.

Both Jack and the Doctor sped over and attempted to stop the alien, but others quickly apprehended them.

"Please, you have to stop this!" the Doctor cried, "You have no idea what you're dealing with!"

The alien dragging KaiMon towards the conduit sniggered at his plea but was stopped by the Commander who had grown concerned by the Doctor's sudden change in character.

"Explain." he demanded.

"If you throw him in that conduit, you'll disrupt the entire system." he told them.

"Oh, poor little Skaifods." the unnamed alien mocked, "They'll loose their power systems for an entire minute."

"No!" the Doctor cried, "Monoroxal energy is extremely volatile. You throw that child in there and we all die."

The alien laughed slightly. "Preposterous!" he spat.

"Truth." the Doctor confirmed, "You'll set off a chain reaction, then BOOM! Everybody dies..."

Clara watched for a few tense moments as the alien and Commander exchanged glances. After what felt like an eternity, the alien began to move away.

The Doctor, Clara and Jack all breathed out a deep sigh of relief. However, the moment was short lived as the alien slipped when pulling KaiMon away and released his grip on the boy, letting him be pulled in towards the conduit.

KaiMon screamed and in a split second, all the other aliens, Jack and the Doctor attempted to grab his hand but it was no good. Any moment now he'd hit the conduit and let history repeat itself…

Miraculously, seconds passed and the explosion hadn't begun. All of them looked towards KaiMon, only to see his body surrounded in a cloud of golden energy. Whatever it was, it was stopping him hitting the plasma stream.

The Doctor's jaw dropped when he saw what was causing it: Belle. From her small, delicate hands, bright golden energy was being expelled and holding KaiMon in place. He could see she was struggling but she was doing it.

"How long?" she quizzed, clearly in a certain amount of pain, "How long until after the point when the explosion won't have occurred?"

The Doctor immediately scanned the area with his screwdriver and looked into the heart of his device.

"Seventeen seconds." he replied.

Belle nodded in understanding. "Seventeen seconds…" she repeated.

16… 15… 14… 13… 12...

"That's the child." the second alien whispered to the Commander as he reached for his gun, "Its her..."

The Commander shook his head. "No!" he ordered, "Without her, we'll all be dead."

"But…" the other alien began.

"No!" he exclaimed, "Leave her…"

5… 4… 3…

Belle briefly made eye contact with Clara as the countdown came to in last few digits. She exchanged a smile with her as the environment around them all began to increase in brightness.

"What's 'appening?" queried Clara.

The Doctor smiled. "Time's being rewritten." he explained.

Clara gulped slightly. "Meaning?" she queried.

The Doctor sighed happily. "Meaning we're going home…"


	17. Aftermath

Chapter 17: Aftermath

Clara shot up from her bed, her hands entangled in the covers. Her breathing was heavy and her face plastered in sweat, despite the bedroom felt much cooler than usual.

The images she had just seen were strange, and that was putting it nicely…

Without a second thought, she whipped her legs out of bed and let her feet feel the floor in search of her slippers, or at least any type of warm footwear which she usually left at the side of the bed. After finding them and slipping them on, she retrieved her silk dressing gown from the dresser and wrapped it around herself before heading out of the room.

Her steps were rapid but she wasn't one hundred percent sure why… She had the general idea about where the control room was so she headed in that direction.

She walked down the metal corridors, startled as she walked head first into Jack after turning a corner. She gasped as he caught her shoulders to stop her face planting his chest.

"Whoa!" he cried, "You alright?"

She nodded up at him. "W-What are doin'?" she queried.

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'm _trying_ to find my room but, I don't think my friend here wants me to find it." he explained as he tapped the wall with his fingertips.

Clara frowned a little. "She won't help you find your room?" she questioned.

"Oh no, I found it." he informed her, "Then I sneezed, blinked momentarily and then it was gone… She's never really liked me."

Clara laughed. "Poor you." she sympathised, "I've never had any problems with the TARDIS."

Jack smiled. "You lucky so-and-so." he smirked.

Clara was about to say something else when her thoughts began to wander. Jack soon noticed and frowned slightly.

"Are you okay?" he queried.

She nodded slightly. "I think so…" she replied, "Excuse me."

She soon walked past him and headed towards the control room. She walked a little further and turned through the main passage which connected with the room she was indeed looking for.

"Doctor?" she called quietly, her voice not going much higher without her physically shouting.

The Doctor immediately looked up at her call. He frowned and crossed the floor in order to lean on the bar while looking down at her.

"Clara?" he queried, "What are you doing up? I just put you to bed."

At that point, Jack entered the control room but remained behind her. The Doctor examined his wife closely before travelling down the steps and meeting her confused gaze.

"What's wrong?" he queried.

Clara looked up towards the console before looking back at her husband.

"I'm not sure." she laughed slightly, "I just… feel like I'm forgettin' somethin'."

The Doctor frowned. "What do you mean?" he enquired.

Clara shook her head. "Can't ya feel it?" she questioned, "Like… like somethin' 'appened…"

"I can feel it." piped up Jack as he approached the two of them, "It's like…"

"It's like we're missing a day somewhere." the Doctor finished.

Jack nodded. "Exactly." he confirmed.

"What 'appened on the planet?" Clara quizzed.

The Doctor looked back at Clara. "What planet?" he asked her.

Clara tried to work it all out. "A minute ago, the TARDIS shook due to a shockwave which originated from a planet." she told him, "But what 'appened? What caused the shockwave?"

The Doctor's shrugged his shoulders. "There wasn't a shockwave." he told her.

"No, but there was last time." remembered Jack.

"Can you show me the planet?" enquired Clara, "Please?"

The Doctor nodded and smiled at her.

"Okay." he agreed before taking her hand and walking up the stairs with her.

Jack followed and watched as the Doctor brought up the only planet they had passed within the last hour and displayed it on the screen.

"The planet Kradus Bajoria." he said, allowing both Clara and Jack to view the screen.

The Doctor looked down at Clara who was looking at the image, appearing to be seeing more than one version. Then again, so was he. On one hand he could see it as it was, on another he could see the planet burnt and destroyed…

"I wanna see it." Clara told him.

"Me too." seconded Jack.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulder and nodded. "Okay." he agreed before pulling a few levers and landing the TARDIS, "Here we are."

Clara and Jack dashed over to the door, the Doctor following in their wake forgetting to pick his jacket up. Clara soon opened the door and dashed outside, immediately followed by Jack and the Doctor. What greeted them made all of their lips curl into smiles.

The sun was shining brightly, the beams dancing along their skin. People crossed the square without a care in the world, the lot of them enjoying the weather almost as much as Clara was.

"I can remember things which… never happened." Jack whispered, "Why?"

The Doctor smiled. "Because they did happen… in another version of reality." he explained.

Clara sighed as the soft breeze ran through her hair. However, it didn't last long as the moment was interrupted by an oncoming yawn.

"Gosh…" she moaned, "I'm cream crackered."

The Doctor smiled. "Well, I did only just put you to bed." he reminded her as he approached and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

She shook her head slightly as he rested his chin on her shoulder blade.

"No, it's more than that." she whispered, "It's like…"

"We've crammed three days into a few hours." Jack finished.

Clara nodded. "Yeah, somethin' like that." she concurred.

The Doctor smiled and kissed the side of her face before pulling away from her. While he began to visually inspect the square, Clara walked over to a large shop window where a timepiece was ticking away behind the glass. It read: 30-21-14.

She wasn't completely sure why, but seeing that time made her heart fill with joy…

"Need a timepiece?" a man queried who appeared at her side.

Clara immediately looked up at him and smiled as he opened the glass and got the device out. Her smile expanded as he showed it to, allowing her to see it clearly.

"Perhaps you can help me." she suggested, "I'm from… Kalvac…?"

She wasn't sure why she had said that, she wasn't even sure it the place existed but for some bizarre reason, she had felt a strong urge to use that name.

"Oh, Upper Kalvac?" the shopkeeper queried, "How are you liking the South?"

Clara smiled. "Oh, its lovely." she complimented, "But still, I'm l not used to your timepieces."

The shopkeeper smiled down at her. "There no different to any other timepieces." he guaranteed.

"Are you sure?" she questioned, "I mean, what do these numbers stand for?"

The shopkeeper frowned a little but smiled as he pointed to each number in turn, going left to right.

"Rotations, Intervals, Fractions." he answered, "Same as any timepiece."

Clara nodded in understanding.

"12 karz." the shopkeeper told her.

She looked up and smiled, assuming he was talking about its cost.

"A fair price." she stated, "Can you give me two minutes? I just need to go and coax it out of my husband."

The shopkeeper smiled once again. "Of course." he agreed, "I'll keep it for you."

Clara smiled at the man before making her way over to the Doctor who was grinning with delight. He just loved to see her happy.

"I need some money." she told him.

He laughed to himself. Part of him was willing to tease her about it but in the long run, especially as she was growing tired, it would be much quicker, and safer, just to get her the desired currency.

"How much?" he questioned.

"12… karz, is it?" she told him.

The Doctor planted a quick kiss on her forehead and smiled.

"Back in a mo." he stated before walking off in search of a bank.

x-[]-x

Within minutes of the Doctor's return, Clara was the proud new owner of the timepiece. At that moment, Jack was examining the device, smiling the entire time.

"Why did you even buy it?" he queried.

Clara smiled as he handed it back to her. "I can remember promising to get it if I went back." she explained, "And I did… so I got it."

"But it never happened." Jack reminded her, "You never made that promise with him."

"But I remember doin' it." she explained, "So I did promise, and now I've kept that promise."

Jack laughed slightly. "Oh, you're a good one, Clara." he complimented as he pulled her into a hug, "I'm gonna miss you."

The pair of them soon ended the hug and Clara looked up at him.

"You're goin'?" she asked.

Jack nodded. "Even though it's physically only been a few hours, we've had one hell of an adventure." he pointed out, "And besides, I've never been wanted by that TARDIS for too long."

The Doctor laughed slightly. "Well, that's what you get for being you, I suppose." he told him as he shook Jack's hand, "I'll miss you."

Jack smirked and looked between the two of them.

"Oh, I better get an invitation to the baby's christening, birthday, whatever." he warned them, "I'm not letting you off that lightly for not inviting me to the wedding."

The Doctor chuckled. "We didn't invite anyone." he reminded.

"Well, Vastra, Jenny and Strax were there." Clara stated.

"Oh…" Jack realised, "Favouritism? I get it!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "They were travelling with us at the time." he explained, "Stop being stupid."

"Yeah." seconded Clara, "That's 'is job."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow slightly. "Thanks." he expressed cynically.

"See?" Clara teased, "That's what I mean."

The Doctor laughed a little and quickly kissed her lightly on the lips while Jack retrieved his teleporter from his pocket.

Clara scoffed slightly. "Seriously, 'ow big are ya pockets?" she asked, "You seem to 'ave everything in there."

Jack smirked as he strapped the device to his wrist but at the same time, the Doctor frowned.

"Wait a minute, you had that all along?" he queried, referring to the teleporter, "When we needed to escape, you had that in your pocket all along?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "That was in a version of reality that never happened." he pointed out, "Get over it."

The Doctor laughed slightly. "Get outta here!" he demanded jokingly.

Jack nodded. "Doctor." he acknowledged, "Clara."

The both smiled as he activated the device and faded away from in front of them.

It was then that they heard him scream. Both of them, the Doctor and Clara, turned to face him as the rest of the people in the square stopped dead in their tracks, all curious about the problem.

He was only a child, probably about eight or nine years old. With bright blonde hair, and piercing green eyes, he looked petrified of… them.

The Doctor and Clara both rolled her eyes. They should have known really…

"Oh, not again…" moaned Clara.

At that point, a local security guard approached the boy.

"Hey, calm down!" he told him "It's all right… Now, what's the problem?"

"I saw them… They made a man disappear!" he cried, pointing over at Clara and the Doctor, "They're monsters! I saw them with my own eyes!"

The Doctor began to usher Clara towards the TARDIS while the officer was looking at the boy.

"Just go! Go! Go!" he cried, making sure the guard or boy didn't see them move away.

They were literally yards away from the TARDIS door when a sharp wind blew through the square, not only stopping them in their tracks, but the security guard and KaiMon too.

As the wind stopped, they turned to see where it had originated from, only to see a black cloud approaching on the horizon. The Doctor and Clara quickly exchanged glances. For Clara, it reminded her of lots of her nightmares. The only real phenomenon she could remember which was similar was the approaching storm on that beach when she had first dreamed about 'The Darkness'…

Suddenly, a small figure appeared on the road, running directly towards them. The Doctor and Clara once again exchanged glances, especially as they recognised the figure… It was Belle.

"Get into the TARDIS!" she demanded, "Now!"

The Doctor immediately tensed. He quickly ushered Clara inside and as soon as Belle was close enough, he ushered her inside too. He had a final quick glance at the dark clouds before entering the ship himself… just in time too as a millisecond after he'd closed the door, the TARDIS began to violently shake, almost as if it was being repelled by something. Within moments, the Doctor heard the engines rev up as the ship materialised itself away. Once again, it was running…


	18. Belle

Chapter 18: Belle

It didn't take long for the TARDIS to calm down, to be fair, the shuddering ceased almost instantly. Once it had, the Doctor hopped up onto his feet and dashed over to the console. Subconsciously stroking it, he quietly questioned the machine what had just made her react like that. When he managed to scan their current location, his eyes widened considerably when he saw they were over 3000 years in the future and twelve galaxies away from the planet… What could have been so bad that it made the TARDIS run that far so quickly?

Clara soon clambered to her feet and looked over at her husband, rubbing her wrist which was tingling after she had fallen on it funny. The Doctor soon looked away from the console and frowned when he noticed how she was holding her wrist. His confusion about their current predicament soon morphed into an overprotective concerned expression, one Clara couldn't quite describe.

With a few simple glides across the floor, he was at her side.

"Are you okay?" he queried, gently handling her wrist and examining in the best way that he could.

"I'm fine." she confirmed, "I just fell on it funny. That's all."

The Doctor nodded slightly, not completely convinced but enough to make Clara smile up at him. She rolled her eyes and laughed slightly as his expression softened. It was then that she looked around the room. That was when her smile dropped.

"Where's Belle?" she queried when she realised that she was nowhere to be seen.

The Doctor looked around. The room itself looked perfectly normal, but there was definitely an absence of a certain little girl.

"Belle?" she called.

The Doctor frowned and turned to look at his wife. "She did come in here, right?" he attempted to confirm.

Clara nodded. "Yeah." she replied, "She was right behind me."

It was then that they heard a small grumble from underneath them. Both of them rushed over to the bar, and in sync, peered over to see the little girl sat on the floor on the lower level rubbing her forehead.

"Oh my stars Belle." cried Clara, "Are you alright?"

Belle soon looked up, blinking her eyes several times to let her vision refocus.

"Never… do that… again." she warned thought the moments that her head didn't pound.

Without a second thought, Clara dashed down the stairs. "What 'appened?" she queried.

Belle sighed. "D… The Doctor pushed me inside just a little too hard." she explained, "And the TARDIS shaking didn't help… The floor just disappeared from under my feet."

The Doctor's eyes widened slightly. "Sorry." he apologised.

Belle shrugged her shoulders. "Its alright." she promised, "I've been through a lot worse."

It was then that Clara knelt down next to her and noticed the red mark forming on her forehead. She must have hit it pretty hard.

"You sure you're gonna be alright?" she asked as she went to carefully examine the lump forming.

However, within seconds, she pulled her hand sharply away as an almighty burning sensation travelled through her fingers.

"Ow!" she moaned.

Belle's eyes widened slightly and it didn't go unnoticed by the Doctor. However, his more immediate concern was with his wife who he dashed down the stairs in order to reach. Belle gulped a little and moved herself away by dragging herself to a new position on the floor.

"What happened?" the Doctor questioned, taking Clara's hand and examining it visually.

Clara shook her head slightly before looking back over at Belle.

"That 'appened last time…" she recalled.

Belle bit her lip and shook her head a little. "I'm sorry." she apologised, "I wasn't thinking…"

The Doctor turned his head and looked down at the little girl, still holding Clara's burnt hand in the process. When their eyes locked momentarily, something occurred to him that truly made his head pound. It was Clara's muffled moan that made him break away from the little girl and look back at her. There was a nice bright burn forming on her hand, a burn which was clearly stinging.

Clara looked up at him. "I don't understand." she confessed.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders slightly. "It happens from time to time." he started, "Two different species come into contact and their cells can react funny to each other."

Clara's frown burrowed. "That's ridiculous!" she cried.

The Doctor smiled softly. "Well, I could give you the big scientific explanation, like how all the antigens on the two species cells combine and cause reactions across the skin which can damage the cells, but are seriously in the mood to hear it?" he queried.

Clara sighed and shook her head slow. "I guess I ain't." she admitted before looking between the Doctor and Belle, "You wouldn't mind if I go to bed, would ya?"

The Doctor shook his head and kissed her forehead. "Course not." he promised, "Let me just heal that burn first."

Clara shook her head. "Do it in the morning, Chin Boy." she told him, "I'm tired."

Instead of arguing, the Doctor's more immediate attention turned to rubbing his chin.

"Seriously, what is wrong with my chin?!" he interrogated.

Both Clara and Belle laughed at his insecurity.

"Night Doctor." Clara wished as he stood up and assisted her to her feet, "Night Belle."

Belle nodded in acknowledgement as Clara passed and headed out the control room. "Night… Clara." she whispered after a slight hesitation.

The Doctor listened as Clara's footsteps into silence faded before walking over to Belle and assisting her off the floor.

"Thanks…" she expressed softly.

The Doctor nodded slightly before travelling across the floor and sitting down on part of the pillar held up the console and the upper level.

"What are you Belle?" he asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I can't say." she confessed, "Not yet."

"Look, it was lucky Clara believed that about different species reactions, I mean, we both know that's the biggest load of rubbish since bread and Marmite." he explained before making a face at the idea of eating Marmite.

Belle smiled a little. "I like Marmite." she stated.

The Doctor recoiled at the idea. "Yuck!" he cried, "Seriously?"

Belle nodded.

"That is disgusting… Wait a minute, I'm getting sidetracked…" he realised, "Now, me and you both know that was temporal energy which burnt Clara's hand… and that means…"

"Don't! Please don't…" begged Belle, "Please, don't make it any harder than it already is…"

The Doctor sighed as she shuffled on the spot.

"I don't understand…" the Doctor admitted after a moment, "I think I know _who_ you are, and I think I know _what_ you are, or more to the point, what you _should be_."

Belle sighed. "Doctor, just stop." she pleaded, "I can't tell you anything more than what you know now… and to be fair, you know much more than you should."

The Doctor nodded in understanding. He had no right to be hassling her, she was only eleven years old, but he just wanted to know who she was. He was fed up of waiting!

"Where did you grow up?" he asked, changing the subject.

Belle sighed and looked up at him, her face deeply engraved with confusion. "Doctor, don't do this." she begged.

He smiled lightly. "I'm just trying to make small talk." he pointed out.

Belle bit her lip and down on one of the steps behind her. It took her a few moments before she managed to bring herself to answer him.

"The Bolerian Forest." she answered.

The Doctor frowned a little. "The Bolerian Forest…?" he repeated, "But, that means… you can't ever go home again…"

Belle looked down into her lap. "I know…" she confessed in a whisper.

The Doctor gulped slightly. The Bolerian Forest, he knew of that place very well but he'd never been there, he couldn't… It was considered to be the safest place in the universe because nothing could ever enter the forest barring the inhabitants born there. That was due to a specific gene they had which allowed them to pass through the energy barrier with protected the planet.

"I don't get it." admitted the Doctor, "How did you get in there? I mean, you're not Bolerian so you obviously don't have _the gene_."

Belle nodded in agreement. "My Mum and I were taken with someone who was born there." she explained.

The Doctor frowned. "Why?" he questioned.

Belle once again looked down at her hands in her lap. "To protect me." she answered.

"From what?" he quizzed.

Belle shook her head. "Nothing…" she whispered.

The Doctor was deeply intrigued, he couldn't deny it. However, as she had suddenly fallen quiet he decided not to pursue the answer. Whatever the reason was, whether it was because she didn't want to or she couldn't, she wouldm't answer him.

After another few moments of silence, Belle finally plucked up the courage to speak.

"Do you think you could drop me off at the Dotter Space Station?" she questioned.

The Doctor looked up at her. "Yeah…" he replied, "But, why?"

Belle sighed. "I'm hoping my Mum and Dad will be there." she confessed.

The Doctor frowned. "Hoping?" he questioned.

Belle bit her lip once again. "Its complicated." she explained, "But I think you know that."

The Doctor pushed himself up and walked over to the little girl. When he reached her, he extended his hand out which she accepted. Together they walked up to the main level before the Doctor set the coordinates of the Space Station.

"When exactly?" he enquired.

Belle's eyes widened and she shrugged her shoulders. "I… I don't know." she confessed, "Um… 2623."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow slightly. "Are you sure?" he asked, "Because you don't sound it."

Belle nodded. "Yeah..." she confirmed, "2624."

The Doctor looked down at her. "You said 26**23**." he pointed out.

Belle shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't matter." she explained, "They'll find me."

"Are you sure about that?" asked the Doctor.

Belle nodded. "Yeah." she promised.

The Doctor was reluctant to agree but after seeing the desperation in her eyes, he finally did.

"Alright." he stated.

With a few simple clicks of a range of buttons, the TARDIS came to a gentle stop, landing softly in the station.

Belle smiled slightly and ran over to the door, soon followed by the Doctor who wasn't particularly happy about leaving her alone.

"Belle wait!" he demanded as she opened the door.

She paused and looked back up at him. "What is it?" she asked.

The Doctor sighed. "Stay here until your parents come." he pleaded.

Belle shook her head. "I can't…" she told him.

The Doctor sighed once again. Of course she couldn't…

"Okay…" he whispered, "Take care of yourself."

"I will." she confirmed as she stepped out of the door, "Oh, Doctor?"

The Doctor looked over at her as she turned back to face him. "Yeah?" he questioned.

"Look after her." she told him, referring to Clara.

The Doctor nodded. "I will." he stated.

Belle smiled. "And don't go chasing the Darkness." she told him, "Not until after she's had the baby."

The Doctor gulped slightly. "You know about that?" he queried.

Belle nodded. "Yeah." she confirmed in a whisper, "But promise me, don't go looking for it… and if you see it, run!"

"What is it exactly?" he enquired.

"Just promise me!" she cried, "Please…"

The Doctor nodded. Whatever the reason was, she was desperate for him to agree.

"I promise." he stated.

Belle sighed and smiled softy. "Thank you…" she expressed, "Bye Doctor."

"Bye." he replied.

Just as he was about to close the door, she stopped once again and turned to face him.

"Oh Doctor." she called.

He opened the door fully and looked over at her. "Yes?" he quizzed.

"When you need to find her, do what her address says." she told him.

His brow suddenly burrowed. "What?" he asked.

Belle sighed. "Just… do what it says." she repeated, "You'll know what I mean when the time comes…"

She smiled slightly as she saw the cogs in his brain attempting to put thinks into place.

"Bye Doctor." she repeated.

With that, she ran down the crowded corridor and disappeared from his sight. Once she had, he closed the door and slowly headed back to the console. It was certainly safe to say that he was confused… Maybe it was time to join his wife and go to bed…


	19. Meet the Parents

Chapter 19: Meet the Parents

It was exactly two months since the Doctor and Clara's wedding night, exactly two months into Clara's pregnancy, and didn't the Doctor know it!

Over the past three weeks, ever since learning about the baby, the Doctor had done everything possible to try and keep Clara content. However, the mood swings were certainly something he was unaccustomed to dealing with. If she wasn't sobbing uncontrollably for no apparent reason, then she'd been screaming about the smallest of things, for example, his failure to make the bed correctly, the incorrect temperature of her morning tea, the tea which she was limited to due to the caffeine content, the fact that her hair wouldn't stay up in a bun when she tried to put it up in the mornings… the smallest of things which usually were never noticed. However, he never took any of it to heart. He just let her get on with it, let her get all her anger and frustration out, and that was the thing which killed her the most, the fact that she took it all out on him…

The Doctor had lost count of the amount of times he'd had to assure her that it was okay to feel how she did. Then there was the amount of times she had apologised for her outbursts. Seriously, it seemed to be every other minute. If she wasn't crying or screaming, she was apologising to him, even when she hadn't actually said anything to apologise for. Why didn't she realise that he understood completely? Why didn't she understand that there was no need for her constantly apologise for being how she was? She was pregnant for goodness sake!

After the morning battle over how much tea she could actually have, the Doctor retreated to the control room. It wasn't that he was hiding from her, _definitely not_, but he was hoping that she would calm down a little more before he crossed her path again… He had faced many things during his lifetime: Davros, the Dalek Emperor, the Weeping Angels, etc., but nothing like that scared him as much as Clara when she was angry. God help anyone if they caught her on a bad day…

Sitting under the console, messing with components which weren't broken before he had begun, he was completely unaware of Clara standing in the doorway, smiling as she watched his childlike innocence as he tinkered with the components. Part of her still didn't know what she had done in order to deserve him. It was certainly safe to say that she was smitten with him, just like he was smitten with her.

"So this is where ya hide when I go off on one." she whispered.

The volume of her voice was soft and low but as he was so engrossed in the silence, he jumped up to his feet and narrowly missed hitting his head off the upper level's floor.

"Clara…" he whispered, "What-What are you doing here?"

She smiled softly. "I live 'ere." she stated.

"No…" he objected, "I-I thought you were going for a bath."

Clara nodded. "That was two hours ago." she pointed out.

"Oh…" he realised.

Clara laughed slightly at his genuine expression of shock. While his brain tried to work out exactly where all the time had gone, she crossed the floor and dove into his chest, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head directed above one of his hearts. He sighed contently and kissed her silky smooth hair while duplicating her actions and wrapping his arms around her body.

"Are you alright?" he questioned.

Clara nodded against his chest, leaning against his strong frame, mostly enjoying the embrace. She'd definitely been a bit of a mardy cow over the last few weeks, probably a damn right pain to deal with, so she was more than grateful that the Doctor was there for her.

"Do you wanna go anywhere?" he asked softly.

Again, without using any words, Clara answered by shaking her head against his chest.

"Well…" begun the Doctor, "Can we at least go somewhere a little comfier?"

Clara sighed. "Why?" she enquired, "I don't wanna move…"

The Doctor smiled weakly. "Well, I don't feel like standing up for hours." he confessed, "How does a film and popcorn sound?"

Clara lifted her head and stared up into his glittered eyes. With a smile, she nodded slightly.

"Like somethin' worth movin' for." she answered.

x-[]-x

Lying with her head on the Doctor's chest, snacking on handfuls of popcorn and having him subconsciously stroke her hair, Clara enjoyed the afternoon just watching a handful of classic films. Yes, she'd seen them all before, numerous times in fact, but she enjoyed them nonetheless. She was actually amazed that the Doctor was enjoying them too; either that or he was a much better actor than she gave him credit for.

The film they were watching, _The Sound of Music, _was reaching its climax. As she'd seen it many times before and could probably recite the entire script word-for-word and sing all the songs word perfectly, she didn't hesitate to speak up.

"You've gone very quiet." she pointed out.

The Doctor looked down at his wife and sighed. "Sorry… Just got lost in thought…" he whispered.

"About what?" she queried.

The Doctor shook his head, not that she could actually see. "Nothing important." he promised.

Careful not to put all her weight on the sensitive parts of his chest, she pushed herself up enough and turned to look up at him.

"Okay." she agreed, "But what?"

The Doctor laughed slightly. "Nothing." he guaranteed, "I was just thinking about… families."

Clara smiled. "Well, don't get ya 'opes up for one that big." she stated, referring to the Von Trapp family being portrayed in the film, "I'm strugglin' with one, certainly couldn't 'andle seven!"

The Doctor smiled down at her. "Don't worry about that." he said with a smile, "It just got me thinking."

"Ooh, dangerous." teased Clara.

"What's wrong with dangerous?" he quipped back.

Clara smirked at his cheeky grin plastered across his face before he continued.

"But yeah, I was just thinking about… your parents." he told her.

A frown suddenly burrowed on her face. "My parents?" he queried before lauging slightly, "Why ya thinkin' about them?"

The Doctor sighed. "Clara, we've been married for two months, and we've been travelling together for over a year." he pointed out, "And not once have you ever mentioned them, asked to go and see them, spoke about them… I married you without even meeting them… I don't know your parents. I don't know who they are."

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I 'aven't got any." she stated simply.

A frown suddenly crept onto his face but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, he saw the cogs in her mind ticking away, almost as if she didn't understand what she had just said. It was like she was confident what she said was true yet she knew for a fact that it wasn't…

"Why did I say that?!" she questioned herself, "Of course I 'ave! Of course I 'ave parents…"

Although she wasn't looking at him, he never took his eyes off her, not for a second.

"Tell me about them." he requested.

Clara turned to face him and he saw a single tear running down her face, a tear she didn't understand why she had shed.

"Well… there ain't really much to say." she explained as she pushed herself up onto her knees, "My father… John, is a Policeman and my mother… Sarah, is a Nurse… We lived at 100K Bird's Eye View…"

"100K?" he enquired, interrupting an explanation she had no idea how she was going to end.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "That was the address." she explained, "100K Bird's Eye View."

The Doctor's frown intensified momentatily. "Why was it 'K'?" he quizzed, "I've heard of addresses with the letters A or B after the number, but never K."

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno why." she confessed, "That's just what it was…"

The Doctor nodded slightly. "And what did you do with them?" he asked, "Your parents."

Clara's frown intensified. "What'cha mean?" she asked.

"Holidays? Family picnics? Sneaky shopping trips?" he put forward, "Anything?"

Clara shook her head slowly. "No…" she answered, "They were always workin'."

"And… where do they think you are now?" he quizzed.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno." she responded, "Travellin'?"

The Doctor nodded slowly.

"Do you want to go and see them?" he asked after a moment.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "What for?" she asked.

The Doctor sighed softly. "Well, you've got quite a bit of news to tell them…" he pointed out, "Or would you rather wait until you're showing?"

Clara looked down at her still flattened stomach. She still hadn't put much weight on, not that she was complaining.

"I guess you're right…" she confessed before she looked up at him, "Its time for you to meet my parents."

The Doctor nodded. "Parents are important." he explained, "Yours more than most."

Clara frowned once again. "Why d'ya say that?" she enquired.

He sighed as he gripped her hand. "Because you don't seem all that bothered whether we go and see them or not." he indicated.

Once again she shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose 'cause I'm not." she admitted.

The Doctor nodded slowly. "See?" he highlighted, "That's not you… It's not like you to be so disconnected from something… I mean, these are your parents we're talking about here Clara. This is your family."

Clara sighed before looking up into his eyes which were filled with concern.

"They don't feel like it…" she confessed, her voice suddenly falling quiet.

The Doctor cocked his head to the side and visually examined her expressions.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly.

"It's like… I know who they are, but I don't… Sorry, this probably don't make much sense…" she apologised, "But I can see things that we did together… my 16th Birthday party, a day trip to Llandudno, my school fair… but none of that actually 'appened…"

The Doctor sighed as she tried to make sense of it all in her head.

"It's like there's two versions of everythin' we did together…" she continued, "One version where we did loads of stuff, and I know them like I know the back of me 'and… but then there's another version where we did nothin', and they're just strangers who share the same surname as me…"

The Doctor bit his lip as her eyes began to expel more tears. Part of her didn't know why she was crying, especially as that time it wasn't actually connected to any mood swings. Those tears were from confusion caused about her family… were they even real?

"Come on." the Doctor whispered, getting up off the bed and assisting her to her feet, "Let's go and see them."

She gulped and looked up at him towering over her.

"What if they're not real?" she questioned, her nails digging into his arms which were supporting her as she stood there, "What 'appens then?"

The Doctor released a deep breath and rested his forehead against hers.

"You'll have me." he reminded her.

"And then I'll lose you too, won't I?" she asked, her voice cracking as her tears intensified.

The Doctor pulled back from leaning against her forehead and established eye contact.

"No." he replied adamantly, "Clara, you'll never lose me… Don't even think that!"

She gulped as he wiped away a few fallen tears with his thumb, the light touch making her skin flutter.

"How d'ya know?" she quizzed, "Before I met you, I 'ad everythin'… but since then I've lost so much more… I've lost my village, I've lost my friends… and now I've lost my parents…"

The Doctor shook his head. "You haven't lost them, Clara." he pointed out.

Clara shook her head, her lip quivering in a way which made his hearts physically hurt.

"I never had them…" she whispered before breaking out into full on sobs.

Her face sunk into his chest, her salty tears soaking through his shirt. For the first time in a while, he was genuinely lost for words. No matter what he said wouldn't have helped, especially as he couldn't lie to her…

If he was honest, he didn't have a clue what was going on and being in her present condition, he wasn't sure whether she had got the mental strength to deal with it all at once. Not even with him tightly embracing her in his arms helped to ease her wails. No amount of comforting from him could rectify the fact that she had lost her parents, but never had them to start with… no amount of comforting from him could rectify the fact that she still had parents, _but didn't_…

Clara couldn't deny it… she was definitely struggling to make sense of it all. If she thought it was bad dealing with the knowledge that there were other versions of her out in the universe, she certainly hadn't been prepared for dealing with the fact that her family weren't real, yet _were…_

After what felt like hours, she had managed to calm herself down, with the Doctor's help, of course. He'd been an angel; he hadn't left her side at all. Just like always, he was there when she needed him…

"I wanna go and see 'em." she told him, "I 'ave to know one way or another."

He turned his head slowly and looked down at her. While her eyes were still red and puffy from her crying, he gently wiped her hair out of her face, treating her as if her skin was made of glass, pure and fragile… _beautiful, fragile, human skin…_

"Are you sure?" he questioned softly.

Nodding ever so slightly, she answered his question without the use of a single word.

"Okay…" he agreed, "Okay, we'll go…"


	20. Too Perfect

Chapter 20: Too Perfect

Clara felt her lip quiver almost uncontrollably as she stepped out of the TARDIS. The Doctor, who was mere inches behind her, was still rather unsure whether they should have come to the village. If he was honest, he deeply regretted even talking about it, however when he had, he hadn't expected to hear what he did…

Clara took one of the deepest breaths of her life as she looked over the village. It was exactly how she remembered, but it wasn't…

The spot where they had landed was the heart of the village, directly in the centre of the grassed area which she remembered the Doctor crossing when scanning the RED signals on the day they first met. Oh, that day, that day which changed her life forever. Up until her wedding day, that was the best day of her life…

She could see Fata Way opposite her, the street where the Doctor landed the TARDIS the day they met. On the other end of it, she could see the cemetery, the one she used to cross everyday in order to get to London, the one which had a bigger connection to her than she ever realised.

She gulped and tilted her head slightly as she looked over at it, desperately hoping her eyes would keep her stinging tears contained.

"I… I'm in there, ain't I?" she attempted to confirm out of the blue.

The Doctor frowned and looked down at her. Of course she'd think of that…

"That other Clara's in there, the one ya met in Victorian London." she continued.

The Doctor sighed. "Stop." he pleaded, "Please, don't think about that."

Clara looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with tears.

"But its true." she stated, "I lived 'ere for twenty-four, twenty-five years… and I never knew. I didn't even notice that she 'ad the same name as me… I mean, the amount of times I walked through that place… and I never noticed."

The Doctor shook his head. "You weren't supposed to." he pointed out, "Besides, she isn't you."

Clara looked away and shook her head. "You don't know that." she whispered, "If she ain't me, 'ow come I dream about some of her memories?"

The Doctor sighed as she once again looked up to face him.

"Answer me that one, Chin Boy…" she demanded before her voice began to crack, "Please… 'cause I'm really scared…"

The Doctor felt his hearts sting as he couldn't do anything to alleviate the pain she was feeling. His Clara, his beautiful, strong and brave wife was being reduced to a wreck, and the pregnancy surely didn't help. With her hormones all over the place, she was bound to have some bad times but all this stress certainly was adding more than what she already was struggling to handle.

"Hey…" he soothed as he enveloped her in his arms, "I'm sorry… Clara I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have brought you here."

Clara shook her head. "No…" she whispered, "I'm glad you did… I 'ave to know… I 'ave to know one way or another whether my parents are real…"

The Doctor nodded in understanding as he slowly released her from his embrace. No matter how bad she felt, he knew she wouldn't forgive herself if they left now. They'd come here for a reason.

"So…" started the Doctor, "Where exactly do they live?"

Clara sighed and signed over to the street parallel to Fata Way.

"Down there." she informed him.

Interlocking his fingers with hers, they slowly crossed the grassed area to reach the tarmac pavement. As they walked, Clara once again looked around the village. The locals were still passing by carelessly; most of them looked slightly older than they had before. Then again, it had been a year since she had left. She'd made sure of that. If her parents were to believe that she and the Doctor were serious together, there had to be a significant time difference between when she'd last seen them and now.

As they approached an elderly lady who was walking the opposite way, one Clara knew as Mrs. Rutter, she slowed her pace and smiled at her.

"Clara." the old woman stated in a way that even made the Doctor smile, "I haven't seen ya 'round for months. What'cha been doin'?"

Clara briefly looked up at the Doctor before bringing them both to a stop.

"Oh, just… travellin'." she answered

The elderly lady, who was a least half a foot shorter than Clara, grinned to reveal a set of perfect teeth. That usually wouldn't bother the Doctor but they seemed perfect… _too perfect…_

"Who's ya friend?" she questioned Clara, looking up at the Doctor who towered over her.

"Mrs Rutter, meet the Doctor." Clara introduced.

"Pleased to meet you." greeted the Doctor, earning himself a large smile from his wife.

"Well ain't you a pretty one." she complimented before turning to Clara, "Ya better snap 'im up before any other girls get their claws into 'im."

Clara smiled as she winked up at her. Obviously, she had no idea that she had done that a long time ago, and it wasn't like she could just announce the fact she was married when nobody even knew she was travelling the Doctor, let alone was _with _him.

"Well, I must get goin'." Mrs. Rutter explained, "You two take care now."

"Bye." both the Doctor and Clara wished as she walked away from them.

Clara sighed and snuggled around the Doctor's arm as they continued walking, just reaching the mouth of Birds Eye View. The street itself was identical to Fata Way and the other streets in Darchester. The only difference was the vehicles outside them.

"She was sweet." commented the Doctor.

Clara nodded slightly. "Yeah." she agreed, "She ran the post office when I was a kid. She used to give me lollipops when my mother went to get stamps for… Christmas cards that were never sent…"

The Doctor smiled weakly before they continued walking. He couldn't help but notice just how perfect the entire place seemed. Despite the fact that the village was just outside of London, there was hardly any traffic, the environment was calm and tranquil, there was no litter, even the weather was nice. It just seemed _too perfect_… but why?

As they continued to walk up the street, the Doctor felt Clara's pace slow and heart rate increase as they reached a particular house. He assumed that it was the one where they were heading and when they reached the gate and he saw the words '100K Birds Eye View' painted on the door, his suspicions were confirmed.

The house itself looked identical to all the others, completely normal. Although, just like all the other houses, it looked still, as if nobody lived inside it…

"I ain't sure I wanna do this." admitted Clara.

The Doctor squeezed her hand. "We can always go back to the TARDIS." he reminded her, "That option still stands."

She slowly shook her head. "No." she stated, "No, I 'ave to do this."

The Doctor slightly and swiftly kissed the side of her head.

"Well then, let's do it together." he suggested.

She smiled softly and nodded as she looked up at him. "Together." she agreed.

The Doctor smiled before placing his hand on the gate and looked up at the house.

"Geronimo." he stated.

x-[]-x

The moment the Doctor rang the doorbell, he felt Clara's grip tighten on his hand. He would have bet on his life that part of her was sure that nobody was about to answer. However, when a figure appeared behind the frosty glass, he knew that that fear had been diminished.

When the door opened to a perfect 90 degree angle, the Doctor looked up to see a dark-haired woman standing in the doorway. She was probably in her mid-forties; her hair tied up in a perfect bun and she was dressed in a black dress which ended just above her knees. It looked as if she was about to go out for a meal, more of a formal look rather than a casual, everyday look.

"Ah, Clara." she stated in an accent so unlike Clara's, the Doctor would never had assumed they were related. While Clara's spoke in a deep Cockney accent, her mother's was the complete opposite, a very posh and typical stereotypical English accent, similar to the Queen's.

"Mother." Clara greeted with a slight nod of the head.

Clara's mother then turned to look over at the Doctor. Showing hardly any change in emotion, she blinked at him.

"Clara's friend." she stated.

The Doctor smiled softly and desperately tried not to let his confusion show.

"Mrs. Oswald." he greeted.

Without any sign of acknowledgement, she turned back to face her daughter.

"I am sorry… darling." she began, making the Doctor frown even more. The way she had spoke sounded almost robotic then how she had said the word 'darling' was strange… almost as if she struggled to say it, as if it was unnatural.

"I was not aware you would be… visiting today." she continued, "I am afraid I am not prepared."

Clara shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Well, can we still come in, or not?" she asked.

"Of course." answered Mrs Oswald, "Of course… darling."

Stepping to the side, the woman allowed both the Doctor and Clara to enter. The Doctor's forehead creased momentarily as examined the home he had stepped into. If he hadn't known any better, he would have sworn the house wasn't lived in. Like much of the village outside, it just seemed _too perfect_…

The steps that led upstairs, coated with a perfectly clean cream carpet hadn't got a spec of dust on them, then again, neither had any piece of furniture that the Doctor could see. A large archway which led into the living area lit up the hall which Clara's mother led them through after closing the front door.

The living room was in similar condition to the rest of the house, spotless. The mantelpiece of the fireplace contained three photographs, the only three photographs in the entire room, probably the entire house. The one in the centre was of Clara's parents on what looked like their wedding day. Odd… her mother looked exactly the same in the photo to how she looked now. Even the dress looked similar; the only difference was the colour. The other two photos were of Clara. One was of her as a young baby, probably only a few days old. Wrapped up in a TARDIS blue blanket and snuggled up to a white teddy bear with a red bow around its neck, the Doctor smiled at the sight. She was rather cute… He then turned to look at the other photo. His already deep frown intensified at that image. It was of Clara in a white dress which was all too familiar; it was her wedding dress… How the hell had they got an image of that?!

Turning to face Clara's mother after she coughed slightly to grab their attention, the Doctor struggled to hide his confusion, not that she even noticed.

"So, Clara." her mother began as she took a seat on the edge of armchair directly behind her, "May I ask your reason for visiting without so much as an invitation."

"Invitation?" queried the Doctor, who was still stood next to his wife in front of the fireplace, "Why would she need an invitation… she's your daughter."

"I am aware of that, sir." she stated before rising to her feet and smiling for the first time, "Please, forgive me. I never asked your name."

He sighed and briefly looked down at Clara before looking back over at her.

"People call me the Doctor." he explained, "And you?"

Clara's mother nodded slightly, similarly to how Clara had nodded when acknowledging her mother at the front door.

"Sarah." she answered, "Excuse me. I must call for John."

Once Sarah had disappeared out of the room, the Doctor looked down at Clara.

"Is this normal?" he questioned.

Clara looked up at him as if he'd lost the plot. "What'cha on about?" she asked.

The Doctor looked over at the door quickly, making sure neither John nor Sarah appeared before he turned back to Clara and continued.

"This is too bizarre." he whispered, "I mean, I really don't comfortable here… and the way they speak…"

Clara nodded slightly. "I know… they're a tad posh." she laughed.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "A tad?" he quizzed, "Is that all?"

Clara frowned a little. "What'cha gettin' at, Doctor?" she enquired.

He shook his head slightly. "I'm not sure…" he confessed before turning back to the mantelpiece and pointing to the image of Clara on the right, "And then there's this…"

Clara followed his gaze and spotted the image. With a small smile, she shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, that's me at a fancy dress party a few years ago." she informed him, "What about it?"

The Doctor sighed. "Clara, just look at it." he told her, "_Really_ look at it."

Clara raised her eyebrow once again and got closer to the image. However, she seriously couldn't see his problem.

"What?" she queried.

The Doctor sighed and looked down at her. "Clara, that's your wedding dress."

She immediately frowned and snapped her neck back around to it. He watched her eyes widen slightly as for the first time, she seemed to notice exactly what it was she was wearing in the picture.

"How… how is that possible?" she asked in a whisper.

Feeling the Doctor grip her hand, she briefly looked up at him. He appeared just as lost as she felt. She then turned back to face it. The image itself was certainly of her back in the Nuptia System on her wedding day… but that was impossible, wasn't it?


	21. Mr & Mrs Oswald

Chapter 21: Mr & Mrs Oswald

With their eyes firmly glued to the impossible photo on the mantelpiece, both the Doctor and Clara failed to notice Clara's parents enter the room. Her father, John, was a short man. He was a good half a foot smaller than the Doctor yet taller than both Clara and her mother. Dressed in a silver waist jacket and trousers, he too looked as if he were about the go out rather than relax at home.

"Hello." he greeted.

Both the Doctor and Clara, but mostly the Doctor, jumped and swiftly turned to see him stood in the doorway with his wife standing behind. He was about the same age as Sarah and just like her; he looked identical to the image of the pair of them in the photo on the mantelpiece.

"Hello." the Doctor greeted in response, "I'm the Doctor."

"John." he informed him with a nod of the head.

Smiling slightly, he gestured towards the double settee behind the Doctor and Clara.

"Please, sit." he insisted as he sat down in the armchair Sarah had originally sat down on.

Although the Doctor felt oddly uncomfortable, he felt compelled to do so, mostly for Clara's sake. They were her parents after all.

"I must say Clara." her father began as she took her seat, inches from the Doctor, "I do agree with your mother. An invitation would have been much more suitable rather that turning up unexpectedly."

It took the Doctor a moment to fully comprehend his words. Had he seriously just said that?!

"I'm sorry…" interrupted the Doctor, "This is your daughter… this is your daughter who you haven't seen for over a year… For all you knew she could have been dead… and you're complaining about her visiting despite the fact she didn't receive an _invitation?"_

"Well, she is clearly not dead." John stated matter-of-factly, "There is no point filling this conversation with pointless trivia. If that is all you have to say, you might as well leave us be."

Clara's jaw dropped slightly. "Father!" she objected, "Don't speak to 'im that way."

The Doctor tapped Clara's knee slightly, not taking his eyes off her father.

"No, no, Clara. He's got a point." he stated, "But I just don't understand."

"No?" queried John.

"No." confirmed the Doctor, "Clara hasn't been in contact with you for over a year. You had no idea where she was. Correct?"

"Correct." verified John.

The Doctor began to wave his hands about in a moment of frustration and slight confusion.

"Doesn't… doesn't that bother you?" he questioned.

Sarah, who was stood behind the armchair, stepped forward.

"She is a grown woman." Sarah pointed out, looking over at Clara briefly, "I am confident she can care for herself."

The Doctor released a large sigh and had to admit defeat. Something about their attitudes really bothered him but there was really no point in arguing, not with Mr and Mrs Oswald.

"Okay…" he agreed, falling back on the chair.

Clara sighed as she watched him. It was rare to see him so lost for words. To be fair, she could see his point but for some reason it didn't concern her. After all, it was normal for parents to act like hers did, right?

Sarah smiled slightly. "Well, may I offer anybody a beverage?" she offered, "Maybe a cup of tea or coffee?"

"A cup of tea please." requested John.

Sarah nodded in understanding. "Of course." she acknowledged before turning to the Doctor, "The Doctor?"

Clara frowned slightly as he shook his head. "No thanks." he answered.

Sarah then turned to look at Clara. "And for you… darling?" she questioned.

"Um… just a glass of water please." she requested.

The Doctor smiled at that. At least he wouldn't have to argue with her about what she was drinking. Of all the places in the universe, the one place he wouldn't want to do that was where he was now.

Within moments, Sarah had left the room. The kitchen was only through the doorway behind the armchair John was sat in but even so, neither the Doctor nor Clara could hear any moment coming from beyond the boundary.

"So," John began after a moment, drawing the Doctor's attention, "How are you enjoying married life with… my daughter?"

Within a split second, the Doctor's sat up, his eyes almost as wide as his wife's. Clara gripped his hand as she looked over at her father. Gulping slightly, she watched intensely as her father sat up straight and smiled softly over at the pair of them.

"How… 'ow d'ya know that?" she enquired.

John shrugged his shoulders slightly and looked over at them as if it should have been obvious.

"Well… darling." he started after the same similar hesitation Sarah had when she used the word 'darling', "It is obvious. After all, you did not leave this house with a wedding band on your finger."

Clara immediately looked down at the wedding ring. To say she was confused was a definite understatement… There was no way he could have noticed the ring and then jumped to that conclusion. Even if he had, there was no way he could just act so casually about it. Any other father couldn't could they? After all, she had just brought a stranger into his home, someone he'd never even met before, and he was okay that she was married to him… No, that wasn't right…

"John!" Sarah called from the kitchen, "May I bother you for your assistance?"

"Of course." John called back before rising to his feet, "Excuse me."

As soon as he had left the room, Clara immediately turned to look up at the Doctor. She could see his mind putting pieces together, pieces which clearly didn't fit together.

"Doctor, 'ow did he know that?" she queried, briefly looking towards the kitchen, "What's goin' on?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't know…" he admitted, getting up and slowly crossing the floor, "And I really don't like not knowing…"

Quietly tip-toeing over to the door which led into the kitchen, the Doctor slowly peeked his head around the doorway in order to look into the room. What he saw unnerved him greatly…

"What is it?" Clara asked, allowing herself to join him.

As soon as she copied his actions and looked around the doorway, both John and Sarah noticed them and turned to face them.

"The Doctor, Clara…" Sarah stated with a soft smile, "May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The Doctor didn't bother answering but he didn't take his eyes off them for a second.

"Clara, close your eyes." he ordered.

She frowned a little before she turned to look up at him.

"Why?" she questioned.

The Doctor sighed. "Just… close your eyes." he repeated.

Taking a deep breath, Clara did as he requested. He was onto something and hopefully, he'd tell her what exactly was occurring very soon.

"What's goin' on Doctor?" she asked, "What's happenin'?"

She heard his footsteps travel into the kitchen, leaving her alone. However, she could hear him scanning something with the sonic screwdriver so she knew he was still there.

"Doctor…?" she queried.

She couldn't help but notice that her parents had gone quiet. If it was her being scanned by a device she didn't understand, she would be making a few noised in the shape of moaning or objected… so why weren't her parents?

She jumped as his hand appeared on her arm once he was back at her side.

"Sorry." he apologised, "Open your eyes."

She did as ordered and was met with very puzzled looks off her parents. Her mother, who was stood with Clara's requested glass of water in one hand and her father's cup of tea in the other, was frowning deeply while her father just looked lost. She then looked up at her husband. He for one certainly didn't look confused, it was more like worried and if she didn't know any better, she'd say he was preparing for something that she didn't understand.

"Shall we go through to the living area?" questioned Sarah.

The Doctor remained put, looking between the pair of them.

"What are you?" he queried, "What is this? What's going on?"

Clara gulped as she looked between both her parents and the Doctor. She for one certainly didn't know what was happening and if she was honest, she was beginning to get worried.

"Doctor…?" she asked, so soft that even she struggled to hear the words.

"I do not understand your questions." confessed Sarah, "Maybe we should reconvene in the living area."

"Clara, close your eyes again." the Doctor commanded.

Clara, no matter how worried she was beginning to feel, did as he asked. The silence which followed was unnerving. There was no noise, not from her parents, not from outside… the only thing that could be heard was the Doctor's footsteps as he crossed the kitchen floor and her heartbeat which was speeding up considerably.

"Doctor, explain." she demanded, "Why d'ya keep makin' me close me eyes?"

"Clara, we have to go." he stated.

She could tell by the sound of his voice that he was on the opposite side of the room to her and if she knew her parents house correctly, he was probably next to the window which looked over the front of the house.

"Doctor, what's goin' on?" she asked, beginning to get a little frustrated.

She heard him sigh softly, almost as if what he was about to answer hurt him to say.

"It's not real, Clara." he told her, "None of this is real."

Clara soon opened her eyes and looked over at him, only for her view to be blocked momentarily by her parents who began to make their way back into the living room. It was strange to say the least. One moment beforehand, the house had been deadly quiet, now she could hear everything: her parents talking between themselves, water dripping from the kitchen sink, the birds singing outside…

"What, the village?" she attempted to confirm, "I know."

The Doctor shook his head. "Not just the village." he explained, "Everything… nothing here is real… none of it."

"'Course it is." she cried, "Don't be silly. What about all the people? What about my Mother and Father?"

The Doctor sighed and slowly closed the distance between them.

"I'm sorry." he whispered, "Clara, I'm so sorry… but they're not real…"

Clara shook her head in disbelief. "What ya talkin' about?" she queried, "'Course they are!"

"Clara, listen." he told her, gesturing towards the door to the living room, "Can you hear them?"

Clara paused momentarily, listening intensely for them but the only thing she could hear was the Doctor breathing in front of her. She frowned and looked around at the doorway. From where she was stood, she couldn't even see any movement. The entire house was just still, dead.

"I don't understand…" she admitted when she looked back at the Doctor.

He sighed slightly. "There's a reason I made you close your eyes." he confessed.

"Which was?" she quizzed.

"When you closed your eyes, everything stopped." he told her, "Everything just… froze."

Clara shook her head once again. "Doctor, please…" she begged, "Just tell me what the hell is goin' on… in the simplest way possible."

The Doctor nodded at her demand. "For some reason, I don't know how or why, but… _you_ control this village." he explained, "When you stopped looking, stopped being aware of what was happening around you, everything stopped."

Clara's frown deepened. "How can I control a village?!" she cried, "What's so special about _me_?!"

The Doctor gripped her quivering hand, bringing her straying attention back to him.

"I'm so sorry." he sympathised.

"No…" she objected weakly, however, her speech was soon cut short as the environment began to tremor, "What's that?!"

Both of them watched as the room around them faded, ending up as a basic white room, almost hospital white. The windows and the door stayed in their original positions but nothing else remained.

Clara felt her lips begin to twitch as the tears she had managed to hold back throughout the afternoon began to burn her eyes once again.

"What is goin' on?!" she cried, "Please, tell me what is happenin'!"

The Doctor watched as the walls of the house began to dissolve, leaving one single, large, white room with one window in each wall.

"Oh, Clara…" he whispered, "You can't hold onto it anymore, not now you know the truth."

Clara's breathing began to increase in depth.

"I… I don't wanna lose Darchester, I can't…" she confessed, "This… this is my home."

The Doctor shook his head as silent tears began to roll down her face. Everything she knew seemed to be slipping from her grip.

Slowly venturing out of the door with Clara's hand firmly buried in his hand, the Doctor looked over the village. The streets and rows of houses remained, still looking as they did before. To be fair, the entire village looked the same, all barring the sudden lack of people.

"Where… where'd everybody go?" Clara questioned.

However, she already knew the answer. They were all gone, non-existent. No wonder she didn't know who her parents were… they weren't real.

"Am… Am I real, Doctor?" she asked, capturing his attention.

"Of course you are." he confirmed.

She shook her head slightly, desperately hoping not to let any more tears fall.

"Why… why am I the only thing real in the village?" she asked, "How can I exist if I don't 'ave any parents?"

"Because you're Clara." he answered, bringing his hand up to cup her tear-soaked cheek, "My Clara."

She sighed and leant against his hand, needing his touch now more than ever. She just needed proof, proof that she was real, proof that he was real, proof that what she was feeling was real.

Taking a deep sigh, she glanced over the ghost town which had replaced her once pleasant little village. As she did, the entire street seemed to spin around her. Slowly, she felt herself crumble… it was all too much.

Part of him had expected it; her mind just couldn't cope with it all at once. Still, as he caught her fragile body as it collapsed, he couldn't help but ponder about why the village still physically existed. If it was just a figment of Clara's imagination, surely nothing else should exist, right?


	22. Half an Hour

Chapter 22: Half an Hour

Watching Clara sleep, making sure no nightmares plagued her nightly dreams were a common task for the Doctor, but that night especially, he was watching even closer. After the mind-blowing truth about Darchester being discovered earlier that day, he was desperate for her to rest. She was mentally exhausted and he had to admit it, he was worried, not only for her sake but for the baby's too. All the stress she was feeling was not a good thing for either of them.

Subconsciously stoking the back of her hand which was curled up in his palm, the Doctor smiled as he watched her eyes move behind her eyelids. He knew she was dreaming and the fact it was peaceful appeased him. After everything that had happened, at least her dreams were allowing her to have a peaceful and possibly happy night away from all the pain and frustration.

"_It's your fault, Doctor." _he heard a voice sneer, _"You did this to her…"_

Unintentionally cracking his neck in the process of looking around the vacant room, he frowned when he couldn't see who had spoken. However, despite the fact that part of him believed that he had only imagined it, he knew that was too good to be true. Unfortunately for him, that voice was all too familiar…

"_Remember this one?" _the voice questioned from no specific direction, _"__**There once was an old doctor from Gallifrey, who ended up throwing his life away…**__"_

The Doctor instantly rose to his feet, releasing Clara's hand in the process, and turned his head sharply to the right, only for his eyes to fall on the only person that could have said that, the one person in the entire universe he never thought he'd see again… and who he certainly didn't want to see again!

"Oh look, it's the Intergalactic WAG attempting to look after his pathetic excuse for a wife… a human." he sneered, "Seriously, how desperate was she?"

The Doctor's lips curled slightly, choosing to ignore the insult which he assumed was more aimed at him rather than Clara.

"If you want to offend me," the Doctor started, "Try using some new material… not the same ones as last time."

The man smirked before circling the Doctor, ignoring his last statement.

"Tweed and bowtie, then… _this._" he continued, referring to the Doctor's current attire, "I'm seriously struggling to decide which is worse."

The Doctor sighed. "You do realise that I know this is a dream, right?" he pointed out, "There's no other way you can exist."

The man, who the Doctor referred to as the Dream Lord, sniggered.

"Oh, there he goes, thinking he knows everything." he muttered, "_No other way… _You've got a high opinion of yourself Doctor. Think you know everything, do you?"

The Doctor looked down at the man stood in front of him. "Prove me wrong then." he challenged.

"I don't need too." answered the Dream Lord, "But let's just put it this way, I'm much more advanced than I was last time… Evolved, you might say."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow and shook his head. "I'm not buying it." he told him.

The Dream Lord smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Okay…" he agreed, "Let's see if you _buy _this."

The smirk on the Dream Lord's face was the last thing the Doctor saw before the entire room, probably the entire TARDIS, fell into complete and utter darkness. Either that or he had been blinded…

"Half an hour." the Dream Lord's voice stated sternly, no longer coming from just one direction, "Let's see if you can do it."

The Doctor frowned. The exact whereabouts of the Dream Lord were unknown but he knew he was close.

"I'm not playing games." he stated.

"Oh, this is no game." the Dream Lord explained, "I can promise you that... It's not a dream either. Waking up isn't an option, not this time."

The Doctor suddenly began to get nervous, whatever was going, whatever was happening… this wasn't going to be nice…

"How do you exist?" the Doctor asked, attempting to regain the little control he had over the Dream Lord, "If this is reality, how do you exist?"

Without even being able to see him, the Doctor knew he was smirking. He could feel it burning through him.

"Look around." the Dream Lord ordered, "Tell me what you see."

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing." he answered.

"Try again." commanded the Dream Lord.

The Doctor shook his head. He literally couldn't see a thing… it was pitch black. It was too dark to even make out his hand which was centimetres away from his face.

"Darkness?" the Doctor answered, unsure so he ultimately ended up questioning it.

A simple round of applause cut through the thickening darkness and reached the Doctor's ears.

"Well done Doctor, you get a gold star…" the Dream Lord congratulated, "I am ashamed to have originated from you."

Ignoring the insult, the Doctor bit his lip slightly before continuing.

"What's the Darkness?" he questioned.

Scoffing, the Dream Lord walked closer to the Doctor, his footsteps echoing throughout the room.

"You're telling me you don't know?" he asked, slightly amused, "Don't you ever talk to your wife…? It's been inside her head long enough…"

The Doctor face suddenly fell, his back straightening as he tensed. "What's that supposed to mean?" he interrogated.

"It means you're not keeping her as safe as you hoped." he stated.

Suddenly, the Doctor's hearts tightened inside his chest when a piercingly loud scream rang throughout his eardrums. There was only one person who sounded like that: Clara. Moving over to the location where the bed she had been lying on was usually located, he felt his breathing hitch as he couldn't find anything, not the bed above all, not Clara.

"Where is she?" quizzed the Doctor, "What have you done with her?"

Panic began to emerge in his voice, his hands frantically searching for his wife. Although the scream had ended, he could still hear her sobbing. It sounded painful, as if she was being tortured and to be honest, the Doctor wouldn't put that past the Dream Lord…

"Half an hour." the Dream Lord repeated, returning to his original statement, "That's all the time you have, _Time Lord._"

The Doctor gulped. "For what?" he questioned, rather afraid to hear the response.

"To find your wife." he explained, "Half an hour… before the Darkness drains her."

The Doctor bit his lip but didn't allow his fear to break him. If he and Clara had any chance in surviving this 'game', he had to remain strong. Also, it wasn't just Clara's whose life was in danger, it was their baby's too… that made him even more determined to win this one…

"Good luck veggie…" whispered the Dream Lord.

With that, the panelling beneath the Doctor's feet suddenly gave way, making him plummet down. He was falling, fast… It was making his insides feel very hollow and no matter how hard he tried, there was absolutely nothing he could find to grip onto in order to stop his fall.

"_Doctor…" _a very faint and familiar voice called, _"Doctor, help me…"_

"Clara?" he called, his ears on alert after initially hearing and registering her voice.

"_Doctor, please…" _she sobbed, _"Please… I don't… I don't know… I don't understand…"_

"Clara?!" the Doctor cried, "Clara, where are you?"

_"Please Doctor…" _she cried, _"Please Doctor… please come and get me… I-I don't know where I am… Help me… Doctor please…"_

"I'll find you, I promise…" he whispered, his voice cracking after hearing her last beg for help.

Wherever she was, she was afraid… she was afraid, scared and alone. Why was it so hard just to have one night where she could just relax? After everything that had happened over the past 24 hours, why couldn't the universe just give her a little time to heal? At that moment in time, she was so vulnerable, so lost… and the worst thing was that he couldn't comfort her. His poor, innocent, beautiful Clara, lost in the dark…

"_Doctor… Doctor, please… just get me out of 'ere__…_" she continued, _"Doctor… I don't know what's 'appening… I don't understand__… Where am I?_"

As the Doctor continued to fall, he felt a rogue tear break through the barrier in his eyes. She was still calling for him, begging for him to find her. Each plea hacked at his hearts, driving deeper and deeper. He honestly thought that the 'events' with the Dream Lord the last time had been bad… but compared to what was happening now, it was nothing…

_"Help me…" _Clara continued to sob, _"I don't know where I am… I'm scared… Doctor, please hurry… Please just come and get me…"_

"Let me tell you a story…" the Dream Lord stated, his voice echoing along the area in which the Doctor was falling.

"Let me find my wife…" the Doctor pleaded.

The Doctor felt the Dream Lord smirk. He obviously knew that what he was doing was hurting him, and that obviously appeased him.

While the Doctor prayed that soon his endless fall would come to an end, the Dream Lord began to tell him his story, and it went like this:

"_There once was an old doctor from Gallifrey, who ended up chasing his life away, _

_he let down his wife, and it cost her her life, and for the rest of time he shall pay…_

_There once was an old doctor from Gallifrey, who ended up hiding his child away,_

_he tried to protect her, and by doing so he left her, that's what the stories say…_

_There once was an old doctor from Gallifrey, who tried to fight the Darkness away,_

_he lost more than most, "can't compete with a ghost", that what's his wife would say…_

_There once was an old doctor from Gallifrey, who lost the battle anyway,_

_with blood on his hands and death in his eyes, his rage will burn and the Darkness will __**rise**__."_


	23. Empty

Chapter 23: Empty

Time. Despite the fact he was a Timelord, time was something the Doctor didn't have the luxury of wasting. Although he owned a time machine, a machine which could literally go against all the laws of time itself, he didn't have long…

He had been given half an hour, thirty minutes. On some planets, that would have been an immense amount of time to ponder with. There was one planet he knew of where there were mini Tamyi bugs which literally only lived for 17 seconds. Within in 17 seconds, they were born, would grow, breed and die. For those tiny bugs, thirty minutes would have lead to the passing of many generations.

Thirty minutes, 108000 seconds. You could do loads of stuff within that space of time: learn a new language, discover a new star system, create a new drink, rescue a starbase from sinking into a black hole, visit someone across their entire timeline… thirty minutes was a considerable amount of time, well, usually it was…

However, in the Doctor's current predicament, thirty minutes was nowhere near enough time. Clara was still out there somewhere, still lost, still alone, still sobbing. Her pleas for him to find her had ended a while ago, but he could still hear her crying to herself.

He was still falling, fast yet slow at the same time. There was no end, no decrease in speed, no change. It was rather unsettling if he was honest. His insides were completely hollowed out due to the feeling. In a way that was lucky, if they weren't, he was pretty sure he would have been feeling rather sick at that point.

He had no idea how long he'd been falling. It could have been five minutes; it could have been five hours. He honestly didn't know. All he knew is that he wanted it to end; he just wanted to find his wife.

"Can't say I'm enjoying this." the Dream Lord's voice echoed through the area the Doctor was falling, "She's too quiet…"

Before the Doctor even had a chance to register his words, his ears were drawn to a piercing scream, a continuous and gut-wrenching scream… a scream of pain.

A sudden increase of guilt and fear flooded through the Doctor's body. What was he doing to her?!

"STOP IT!" he cried, his eyes exploding as Clara's shrill whistle of a scream twisted his hearts into unbearable shapes, "Just stop it!"

The Doctor felt the Dream Lord smirk. "Say please." he sneered.

The Doctor gulped, tasting his deeply salted tears run across his quivering lips.

"Please…" he whispered.

He couldn't even describe the relief he felt when she fell quieter. Yes, she was still sobbing, but the scream had certainly stopped. That was a good thing, right?

The next minute, a small light above him activated, temporarily blinding him until his eyes managed to adjust. Finally, he managed to see exactly where he was… well, sort of. He was still in the TARDIS, he knew that much. The corridors had the same distinct shape and colour scheme as usual and the temperature was normal. However, he didn't feel safe. That was something he was unaccustomed to feeling when inside the TARDIS.

After another few moments as the Doctor continued to fall, the Dream Lord spoke up.

"I think its time." he stated.

The Doctor bit his lip. "What for?" he queried.

"We all… _fall_… down…" he responded.

Before the Doctor even had a chance to understand exactly what it was the Dream Lord was talking about, he came crashing down to the hard, metal ground with an unforgiving thud. Gasping slightly as his wrist took the full impact of his torso hitting the floor, the Doctor remained flat out on the ground for a moment, mostly to allow his head to refocus after the fall which seemed to have lasted forever.

Slowly opening his eyes, he was greeted which large, black leather shoes approaching the whereabouts of his face. The footsteps soon became apparent and he heard the Dream Lord tutting at his position on the floor.

"Very unimpressive." he remarked as the Doctor slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, "_The Oncoming Storm… _You don't really do that title justice."

Careful not to use his sore wrist when pushing himself off the floor, especially since he would have sworn he heard it crack when he fell, he stood up and looked down at the Dream Lord. Although he hated to admit it, even though he towered over him, he had no control over him whatsoever. He was completely and utterly at his mercy, and he really didn't like that.

"Aww…" the Dream Lord cooed after spotting the way the Doctor was supporting his wrist, "Has the poor little Timelord 'urt 'imself?"

The Doctor's eyes tightened as he continued to speak to him as if he were a toddler.

"D'ya want me to kiss it better?" he finished.

The Dream Lord smirked when the Doctor diverted his eye contact away from him. He knew for a fact he was winding him up, and he was loving every second of it.

Ignoring the Dream Lord the best way he could, the Doctor waited a few moments while his wrist internally healed. Once it had, he proceeded to look around. On either end of the tiny corridor he was stood on, there was a room. One of them had to contain Clara…

Listening intensely to the sound of her muffled crying, ignoring the Dream Lord rambling at his side, the Doctor finally managed to work out that she was in the one in front of him… he hoped.

Breaking out into a run, he dashed down the corridor. The Doctor continued to run for at least a minute before he realised something. Despite the fact he was moving, the distance between him and the room to remain constant. Even speeding up didn't help, it just remained the exact same distance away.

Appearing at his side when he began to slow down, the Doctor sighed as the Dream Lord smirked... again. Seriously, that's all he ever seemed to do.

"Having a bit of trouble there, veggie?" he questioned.

Not bothering to humour him, or even turn to look at him fully, the Doctor kept his eyes locked on the doorway to the room ahead oh him. Despite the fact he physically hadn't got any closer, he could hear Clara sobs which were much louder than before.

"Please…" begged the Doctor, "Please let me get to her…"

Turning to look over at the door, the Dream Lord shrugged his shoulders.

"I suppose its only fair." he concurred, "After all; you should see how she is… especially as it's been over half an hour…"

The Doctor's eyes widened slightly as the Dream Lord faded away in front of him.

"Clara…" he whispered.

Breaking out into the fastest run possible, he dashed down the corridor. His hearts were pounding as he could hear the Dream Lord's warning repeatedly playing inside his already throbbing head.

'_Before the Darkness drains her…' _What did that even mean?! If he was honest, he was rather scared to find out…

The Dream Lord was waiting outside the door, smirking as he turned away from looking in the room.

"Take a look, _Doctor._" he ordered.

Cautiously but quickly, the Doctor entered the room but couldn't see anything at first. The darkness in the room had enveloped the majority of what was usually in there but he could definitely see something… a figure lying on the floor…

"Clara…?" he called.

Within moments, he was at her side. He couldn't actually put into words the relief which was filling his body but he couldn't enjoy the feeling. Why? Because something was wrong…

Gripping her hand, hoping to capture her attention, his face fell into a deep frown. She was cold, actually cold was a massive understatement. Her skin was icy, like she'd been left in the Antarctic for days.

"Clara?" he whispered.

At the sound of his voice, she rolled her head, turning to face him. However, the usual smile which would have followed failed to make an appearance. Her eyes were open, registering his existence, but nothing else happened. There was no recognition of any kind; she just laid there… her eyes as vacant as the vacuum of space itself.

The Doctor felt the air at the back of his throat hitch. "C-Clara?" he questioned.

She blinked several times, her eyes appearing to try and focus on him but failing miserably. The once bright sparkle contained in those big, bold, brown eyes of hers was gone. They were just dull now; dry and grey, like the life had just been sucked out of her. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she was dead…

To be fair, that was probably was true. Although he didn't like the word, he had to admit that it was true. She was dead… _his_ Clara was dead…

She definitely wasn't herself anymore, not at all… She was empty, _drained. _All the life she once had: the bubbly personality, the sharp tongue, the cheeky smile, it was all gone. His wife was gone…

"Oh, Clara…" he whispered, failing to stop his tears escaping his eyes as he stroked her hair, "Clara, I'm so sorry…"

Watching her fail to recognise him was certainly one of the hardest things. The fact that she was aware of him but unable to remember anything about him is what hurt the most. This was a woman who he'd opened up to, given his hearts to in a manner of speaking, but she didn't even know him…

"You do know this is all your fault, right?" the Dream Lord queried, appearing on the other side of his empty wife.

He was no longer smirking, no longer enjoying the fact that the Doctor was upset. To be fair, he looked almost as hurt as the Doctor felt.

The Doctor strongly wanted to object but couldn't. After all, he was right… the Dream Lord was right. He had promised to keep her safe, to keep her protected, but he hadn't… he'd failed. The current state she was in proved it perfectly. He had destroyed her… he, no-one else, _he_ had killed her.

"You have to live with this." the Dream Lord pointed out, "You have to live with the fact that this is all your fault… She put her faith in you, and you've let her down in the biggest way possible..."

The Doctor pulled his hand away from her icy body in order to wipe away his tears. He'd never forgive himself for this… he couldn't. Not only had he lost his wife, he'd lost his child too. Without Clara, there was no way the baby would survive…

"Bring them back…" the Doctor pleaded, "I don't care what you do to me… Kill me if you must… just bring them back…"

The Dream Lord raised his eyebrows and laughed slightly, his moment of grief lost within a split second.

"You don't get it, do you?" he quizzed, "The Darkness wanted your _baby _dead… Clara was just an unfortunate casualty."

The Doctor gulped. "This… this was just for the baby?" he queried, "You've mentally destroyed my wife… in order to kill my baby?"

The Doctor's sorrow morphed into a deep form of anger within a millisecond.

"Why?!" he demanded.

The Dream Lord shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know why." he confessed, "I was just doing my job, and it's over now… Goodbye Doctor."

With that, the Dream Lord faded into nothingness, leaving the Doctor and Clara's empty shell of a body alone in a room which soon lit up as the darkness dissipated.

It was safe to say that the Doctor was feeling very lost. Everything which had happened had completely baffled him, he was only certain of one thing: Clara and his baby were gone…

Trying to contain his grief turned out to be a harder task than he had thought. Part of him just wanted to run, run away from it all… but he couldn't leave Clara. She might have been empty, but she wasn't dead. Maybe that was the problem…

"I'm sorry…" he continuously apologised, "Clara, I'm so sorry…"

Stroking the top of her head, hoping that would somehow bring her back to him, the Doctor somehow managed to halt his tears.

"I'm sorry…" he repeated.

"Stop apologisin' to her!" a voice demanded, capturing his attention.

Turning to the sound, his eyes widened ever so slightly as a woman he hadn't seen for a long time smiled softly down at him. Crouching down at his side, she gave him a reassuring smile.

"This wasn't your fault." she reminded him.

The Doctor shook his head, trying to show her she was wrong.

"No Doctor." she confirmed, "This wasn't your fault."

The Doctor sighed, drying his one eye quickly with his free hand.

"What are you doing here?" he queried.

"Saving your life." the woman answered, "Not that you'll remember… You won't even remember me being here. All this will just be a dream."

The Doctor laughed slightly. "I wish it was a dream…" he confessed, "And how exactly are saving my life? I'm not the one who's dead…"

The woman raised her eyebrows. "Correct me if I'm wrong Doctor." she began, "Clara is your life, correct?"

He nodded, believing that this was just her way to try and cheer him up. Turns out that he'd forgotten exactly the kind of things she was capable of…

"Well…" she started, reaching out to place her hand on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?!" he quizzed.

"Sleep…" she whispered.

"What are you…?" he attempted to say.

"Sleep…" she insisted.

That was the last thing he remembered before everything went black…


	24. Weird Kind of Beach

Chapter 24: Weird Kind of Beach

The typical sounds of his ship's control room were what penetrated his eardrums and dragged him back into a level of consciousness. Allowing the lights to burn through his eyes for a few seconds too long, he automatically shot up into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes in order to allow them to adjust.

His head was pounding rather strongly. If he hadn't known any better, he would have sworn he had been drinking heavily before falling asleep. Blimey… he'd never slept quite like that before…

It took a few moments of silence, barring the TARDIS 'humming', before his brain registered one thing which made his body tense considerably: Clara was nowhere to be seen.

It was almost as if that knowledge flicked a switch in his brain, immediately making his head refocus and regain the memories which were slowly slipping away. For a moment, he had honestly forgotten about the events with the Dream Lord and 'The Darkness'… whatever that was. Not that he was complaining, mind you. To say that it hadn't been nice was a massive understatement. Then again, it had only been a dream, right?

"Clara?" he called, too quiet to be heard the first time, "Clara?!"

Pushing himself up to his feet, his brain chose to ignore the nagging ache in his wrist. It wasn't painful, more like uncomfortable. However, it didn't really register. His main focus was Clara, or more precisely, her absence…

"Clara!" he called once again, swinging down the stairs and dashing out of the control room.

The fact that he couldn't hear her scared him slightly. If it had all just been a dream, surely he'd have found himself sat next to her sleeping form in their bedroom…

"_Doctor…?" _he heard her call, timidly but definitely.

He felt his hearts begin to pound again his ribcage and his speed increased. She was close, and after hearing her call his name, maybe she was okay after all…

"Clara!" he cried.

Literally seconds later, as soon as his eyes fell onto his bedroom door, he spotted her head pop out of the doorframe. Despite the fact that her hair was completely messed up, a classic 'bed-head' look, she looked absolutely fine, but looks weren't always anything.

As soon as her eyes latched onto him, she dared to smile a little. Increasing into a small run, they both sprinted at each other, desperately clinging to each other as soon as they were in reaching distance.

The Doctor seriously couldn't describe the intense feelings plaguing his body at the exact moment Clara was in his arms. The way she gripped at his shoulders and dug her head into his chest, he knew she was okay. Thank God for that…

Running his hands over her majority of her body, checking that she wasn't injured or hurt in any way, shape or form. He couldn't help it; his protective streak was surfacing…

"Are you okay?" he queried, "Are you hurt?"

Clara shook her head and gripped his hands which had come to a stop when cupping her cheeks.

"That was not nice…" she whispered.

"I know…" agreed the Doctor, "I know. I'm sorry."

Gripping onto the Doctor's shoulder, Clara didn't hesitate when pulling the Doctor down to her lips and crashing hers against his. After everything, he was all she had left. He and the baby were the only real things she had left in the universe… and she needed him, now more than ever.

The Doctor easily recognised her desperation, not something she had all that often. Then again, it didn't really surprise him. God only knew how she truly felt after everything she had learnt. She wasn't wrong when she said that meeting him had changed her life drastically.

Backing her against the metal wall, the Doctor deepened the kiss, only to pull away moments later, _regrettably…_

"Clara…" he whispered breathlessly, gripping the arch of her back, "Are you sure about this?"

She nodded slightly, hoping he wouldn't persuade otherwise. She just needed him…

"Yes…" she answered, rubbing her face against his.

Kissing the side of her face slowly, the Doctor smiled softly against her skin before running his teeth against the side of her neck, resulting in a soft moan. Neither of them was entirely sure why they didn't make it into their bedroom considering they were right outside…

x-[]-x

The pair of them didn't do much that day, mainly just remained glued to the hip. The unpleasant memories of the Dream Lord remained firmly on their minds and due to it, they both found it rather difficult to be without each other for more that a second. Clara was struggling considerably. The feeling of emptiness hadn't been pleasant and she couldn't escape the feeling lurking within her mind, no matter how much she wanted too…

After their initial 'moment' together, the Doctor and Clara found themselves curled up in their bed. They attempted to talk about everything and nothing; however, their thoughts always seemed to return to 'other things'.

Sighing softly after yet another period of haunting silence fell over them, the Doctor began to trace small circular patterns over Clara's bare shoulder. She smiled at his touched, completely unaware exactly what it was he was spelling out.

His hand soon trailed down along her arm and to her stomach. Although she was still stick thin, the Doctor had noticed her beginning to round slightly. Nobody would have known any different if they looked at her but he knew, he always knew. Anything about her or the baby, the baby which thankfully was completely fine, the Doctor knew… always.

Clara wriggled slightly as the patterns the Doctor traced over her tummy caught sensitive patches of her skin. Obviously, that made him smile so it only encouraged him to continue.

"Stop it…" she laughed.

Smiling, the Doctor pulled her closer to him, peppering her hair with kisses. She just laughed, allowing herself to enjoy his embrace.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" he whispered into her hair.

Clara sighed and nuzzled into his neck. "Everyday." she confirmed.

Once again, another deafening silence fell over the pair. However, due to their close proximity, it didn't bother them as much as before.

"We need to go somewhere." Clara stated out of the blue.

The Doctor was genuinely surprised. He honestly thought she'd have given herself the rest of the day to relax before even daring to go somewhere else.

"Oh?" he questioned.

Clara nodded. "Nowhere dangerous, no alien threats." she listed, "Just somewhere other than here…"

The Doctor nodded in understanding. Of course she didn't want to remain on the TARDIS all day. It probably wasn't helping as the TARDIS was where everything which was weighing heavily on their minds had occurred…

"Anywhere in particular?" he asked, "Any criteria?"

"No danger." she repeated, "And if you can do that Chin Boy, it'll be a miracle."

The Doctor smirked. "Well, I do like a challenge." he pointed out.

x-[]-x

He'd have been lying if he had said it hadn't been a challenge but he would never admit that to Clara, absolutely not. Of course, she knew though. She always knew… and it played right into her hand as material to use against him. After all, she did like to make him blush when she had the opportunity.

Running casually around the console, hitting random buttons and pulling certain levers as he passed, the Doctor grinned happily as the TARDIS settled. Clara, who was sat on the chair leaning slightly on the side console, smiled at his pleasure of finally finding somewhere that fit all the criteria his wife requested.

"Cremley Beach!" he boasted, "Safest beach in the galaxy!"

Clara rolled her eyes as he assisted her to her feet.

"Are you sure?" she queried.

The Doctor paused, his face trying to display a look to make Clara think he was hurt. However, with her smile beaming up at him, he was unable to maintain the face for more than a moment.

"That hurts." he told her, "You think I can't keep you safe…"

"Don't ya dare try that codswallop on me." she smirked, "You know as well as I do that you always cock up where you try to take us."

The Doctor nodded slightly in agreement.

"True." he concurred, leaning closer towards her in order to reach over and flip one certain lever, "But not this time."

As the smile on her face grew, the Doctor winked at her before grabbing her hand and leading her towards the door.

Opening the door, they expected brilliantly hot sunshine, golden sands, the soft rustle of waves crashing onto the shore…

Clara tried desperately hard not to snigger when they stepped out of the box but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help it.

"Weird kind of beach." she pointed out, the sarcasm in her voice easily noticeable.

The Doctor sighed and didn't even bother trying to counter argue against all the thoughts which were swimming through her head.

"Okay, you were right…" he agreed, "And this time…"

Clara began to laugh to herself, hoping somehow that by covering her mouth with her hand, her laughing wouldn't be as noticeable. Looking up at the daft old Timelord who was standing behind her with both hands resting on her shoulders, she raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders.

"So where are we?" she queried.

The Doctor sighed once again. "Well, it's definitely Earth." he explained, "Tastes like Earth…"

Clara's eyes widened slightly. "You can 'taste' the air and know it's Earth?" she questioned.

The Doctor nodded. "Oh yeah…" he answered, "Can't you?"

Clara shook her head while a frown remained plastered across her face, however, that didn't stop a small smile breaking through.

"I don't think you'll ever cease to amaze me." she admitted.

The Doctor smiled before kissing the side of her face and extending his arm out to her.

"Well, here's hoping." he quipped back before she took his arm and they began to move away from the TARDIS.

The area which they had landed was a small playing field, adjacent to a large brick building which owned many windows. The grassed area itself was marked with many lines which once belonged to a football pitch but most of them were faded. The outskirts of the field was barricaded by trees and bushes and the building which could be seen was down a minor embankment, the same embankment the pair were heading for.

Turning to look down at his wife as they crossed the field, the Doctor was puzzled to see her frowning rather deeply.

"What is it?" he asked.

Clara shook her head slightly. "This is a school, ain't it?" she attempted to confirm.

The Doctor nodded a little. "I believe so." he replied, "Either that or an educational building of some kind, possibly a campus for a college or university."

"So a school?" Clara repeated.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "Yeah, a school." he relented.

Clara shook her head a little as she examined the building from where they were.

"What are we doin' at a school?" she quizzed, "I managed to get out of one seven years ago. I ain't ever intended to come back… ever!"

The Doctor nodded in understanding. "I completely get it." he told her, "But we're needed here."

"How?" she enquired, "And why?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." he confessed.

Clara looked at him, her face clearly displaying how confused she was.

"Then 'ow d'ya know we need to be 'ere?" she questioned.

The Doctor momentarily looked back at the TARDIS sitting on the opposite side of the field before looking back down at his wife.

"Not so long ago, the TARDIS told me something I'll never forget." he began.

Clara was deeply intrigued by what the Doctor was about to say. She'd always had the deepest respect for that machine and she just loved the fact that the Doctor was so loyal to it, and visa versa. How she saw it, once she was long gone, at least he'd still have that ridiculously old yet completely wonderful bigger-on-the-inside, or _smaller-on-the outside, _blue box. Or a 'The Snogging Booth'… the 'Snog Booth'… the 'Snogbox'… yeah, she supposed that's what it doubled as quite a lot of the time…

"What?" she queried softly.

"She may not always take me where I want to go, but she always takes me where I need to go…" he told her before looking back over at the school, "Can't you feel it?"

Clara sighed and shrugged her shoulders slightly. She supposed she had to admit it, there was certainly something about that place that was giving her the creeps.

"A little…" she confessed.

The Doctor suddenly began to grin, a hint of excitement bubbling in his eyes.

"Well them, shall we go and see what's occurring?" he suggested.

Clara's smile soon grew to a size almost equal to his.

"Well, that's what we do…" she stated with a wink.


	25. Three Times

Chapter 25: Three Times

To say that she felt the chills when she walked onto the school yard was a massive understatement. Even with the Doctor at her side, Clara felt completely out of comfort zone. It was so bizarre… She'd been in many scary situations in her travels with the Doctor but never before had she been so nervous to be in a place. Maybe it was just because it seemed so normal, a typical high school on Earth, or maybe it was because the place was far from typical…

"So where we headin'?" queried Clara.

The Doctor, who was wary to use the sonic as he had a strong suspicion they were being watched by the curious pupils dying of bored in their classes, sighed as he looked for any signs to any section of the building.

"The main entrance... if we can find it." he answered.

Clara nodded slightly. "Well, if we head to the front of the school, we should find it." she pointed out.

The Doctor nodded softly. "Probably." he agreed, "Come on then."

Crossing the yard, the pair of them headed down a flight of steps, walked down a small path before then going down another three steps. Since they found themselves closer to the actual building, Clara took a chance to look around. To her right, there was a small courtyard which led to two green double doors into the labelled Art Department. In front of her was a rusted metallic bench which was next to a single green door for the Girls Toilets and when she turned to the left, all she could see was a large wall plastered with windows. That was what she guessed was the Main School Hall.

While Clara attempted to familiarise herself with her surroundings, the Doctor discretely began to scan the area. However his discreteness didn't actually matter as no classrooms actually looked over the area they were stood in.

Clara couldn't shake the feelings plaguing her body and she most certainly couldn't relax. The quietness of the school was rather chilling and even though the sun was shining brilliantly, the entire school seemed oddly cold.

Looking up at the building towering above her, Clara began to examine the third floor of the school. The corridor itself was still but as she scanned from left to right, her eyes caught something, a girl standing at the window looking down at her. That was the first time she saw her…

Clara gulped at the sight of the girl. Her skin, from what she could see, was awfully pale yet her blonde hair which was just past her shoulders was immaculate. Dressed in what Clara assumed was part of the school uniform, the girl sported a milk-white blouse and blood-red tie which had thin diagonal strips crossing it similar to the Irish flag: green, white and orange.

She couldn't tell what it was about the girl but Clara felt herself shiver as the girl's eyes bored into her. It felt like something she would associate with a supernatural horror film…

As soon as a large hand appeared on her shoulder moments later, Clara must have jumped half a mile, which worried the Doctor immensely.

"You alright?" he quizzed.

Clara nodded, unable to speak as her racing heart settled in her chest.

"I've found the Main Entrance…" he told her, "You coming?"

"Yeah…" Clara managed to answer.

Gripping her hand tightly, the Doctor tried not to show his concern but failed miserably.

Attempting to assure him she was okay, Clara smiled softly as they headed to two double doors near to the wall plastered in windows. Before they went very far, Clara turned back to look up at the corridor the girl had been stood, only for her to have disappeared… Had she just imagined her?

The pair of them soon found themselves in a large corridor after passing through the double doors. Turning left, they headed up the corridor to find an empty Reception office. The Doctor was about to head in but was pulled back by his wife.

"Quick tip, Chin Boy." she began, "Usually visitors enter by the front door, therefore we really should pretend we have and wait in the foyer."

Looking down at her and allowing his smile to break though his small expression of shock due to her pulling him back, he raised his eyebrow playfully.

"Clever clogs." he whispered.

She giggled momentarily before being dragged away by her much too enthusiastic husband. Bowling through two wooden doors, the pair of them flopped down on the chairs in the foyer, pretending to have been there for ages, waiting for the Receptionist to return.

As the seconds began to transform into minutes, a thick silence fell over them. The Doctor, itching to crack on, was fidgeting while waiting for the Receptionist to return. Meanwhile, Clara was more interested in looking outside. The main gates where directly opposite the doors of the foyer and the car park extended to the right of the gates, filling the gap between the gates and the actual school building.

Turning back to look at the Doctor, she couldn't help but notice the similarities between him and a three-year-old dying to play with his new toy. Laughing at him, she turned away to look outside one again. That's when she saw her for the second time, the school girl from the corridor.

She looked different that time, much colder and creepier… if that was even possible! The clothing she was wearing was definitely the part of the school's uniform: the white shirt, red stripped tie and jet black skirt, all emphasising just how pale her skin actually was. Once again she looked directly at Clara, causing her to shiver and gasp loudly as a sharp chill shot down her spine. Shaking the feeling away, Clara looked back at the spot the girl had been stood, only for her to be gone.

The Doctor, whose attention had been captured by her gasp, was about to question her when a man appeared in the window of the office.

"Ahh…" he started, getting the attention of not only the Doctor but Clara too, "You two must be our Ofsted inspectors."

Clara rolled her eyes as the Doctor made his way over. _Of course the Doctor hadn't had anything to do with that…_

"We are indeed." the Doctor answered.

The man, who was dressed in a midnight blue pinstriped suit and pale pink tie, quickly vacated the office and entered the foyer through the wooden doors, the one's the Doctor and Clara _certainly_ hadn't been through before…

"I'm Gordon Denman, Head Teacher." he introduced, grasping the Doctor's hand and shaking it, "I'm sorry for your wait. I'm not one hundred percent sure where Ms. Carr, our Secretary, has gone at this moment in time…"

"I understand completely." confessed the Doctor, "I'm Dr. John Smith, and this is my colleague Clara Oswald."

"Nice to meet you both." he stated, shaking Clara's hand before leading them out of the foyer and into the corridor they'd already seen; "Now I must warn you. The kids aren't fully focused. I know that's terrible for Ofsted inspection but after last week's… incident, it's been hard to get them… motivated, if you know what I mean."

Slipping into character, Clara looked briefly up at the Doctor before looking back at the Head as he led them down the corridor.

"Which incident is this?" she asked.

The Head stopped suddenly, turning back to face them. "The school girl… Rosie Nightingale…" he hinted, expected them to understand as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world.

Clara shook her head slightly, making Mr Denman laugh slightly. "Don't you watch the local news?" he enquired.

Clara sighed. "I live up in Birmingham." she lied convincingly, "I don't live down 'ere in London, not anymore."

The Head nodded. "Oh, right…" he understood, "Rosie Nightingale, Year 11. Clever girl, one of the sweetest and most kind pupils I ever knew… She was involved in a nasty accident last week, in school. She fell down the stairs and broke her neck… died instantly. Her parents are devastated."

"What parent wouldn't be?" the Doctor queried, "Losing their child… especially like that?"

Unseen by the Head, Clara gripped the Doctor's hand, silently reassuring him that nothing was going to happen to her. She always knew that he always thought about 'what if's' when he heard something like that.

Turning back to the head, Clara sighed when a sudden though propped up.

"What did she look like?" she queried.

Both the Head and the Doctor frowned slightly. "I'm sorry?" queried Mr Denman.

"This Rosie girl…" started Clara, "What did she look like?"

The Head sighed. "Um… quite tall, blonde hair, blue eyes… very thin…" he reported, "Quite a lot like her mother, to be honest… except the nose. She definitely has… had her father's nose."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow slightly. "Do you know her parents well?" he quizzed.

Mr Denman nodded. "I used to go to school with her Dad." he explained, "He runs a shop in town, although it's been closed for the last week…"

"Understandable." stated Clara.

The Head nodded. "Anyway, I'm sorry to say this but I'm not sure which subjects you wished to inspect first…" he confessed.

"Um… Clara's going to check the R.E Department and I'd like to see the English Department." he explained.

Clara's jaw dropped slightly but she managed to disguise it as best she could.

"Of course." agreed Mr Denman, "I'll just get my Deputy Head, Mrs Walton to take you. I have a meeting with the Nightingale's very soon."

"Of course." the Doctor understood before the Head left them in the corridor.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Clara turned to her husband.

"R.E?!" she cried, "Seriously?"

The Doctor sighed. "Look, there are some strange signals coming from this school. The strongest two places are in A1, that room there which is an R.E room," he told her, pointing at the first classroom along the corridor, "And then C5 on the third floor, which is an English room."

Clara sighed and nodded. "So you want me to insist I go in there?" she attempted to confirm.

The Doctor smiled and quickly planted one on her forehead, seconds before Mr Denman appeared with who they assumed was Mrs Walton.

"Fine…" she moaned.

x-[]-x

Insisting to get into A1 was rather easy and once she had been given her seat directly in front of the teacher's desk, Clara could easily notice the level of depression held by the kids.

The entire experience was ridiculously strange. At her age, just sitting in a classroom was a bizarre experience in itself.

The class themselves were rather quiet, just muffled whispering could be heard as they all got on with their work. The pupils themselves were in Year 11, so the majority of them probably had known this Rosie Nightingale, making the depression understandable. The teacher also seemed depressed but none of that helped Clara understand why there were signals being emitted from that particular room. The classroom looked oddly normal. Even though it was 2026, there was nothing that she could spot which made the room look in any way different to what it should be.

"Do you want a drink?" the teacher asked, leaning over the desk to speak to Clara.

Clara looked up from the so-called _notes _she was making. "No thanks." she replied.

The teacher nodded before sitting back at her desk. She herself was quite a tall woman with black hair and deep brown eyes which border-lined on black themselves. Dressed in black trousers, which were pulled up miles too high, and a grey floral top, she came across as one of those teachers' who was a complete stickler for the rules, one of those ones who would do your absolute heading if you were unfortunate enough to end up being supervised by her during Afternoon registration every day during your school life.

"_Ring-a-ring o' 'Rosie', a pocket full of posies…" _

Clara's head immediately shot up. That voice itself was just eerie! Looking around slowly, she looked over towards the door on the opposite side of the room and saw the girl from the corridor standing by the mini altar. That was the third time she had seen her…

Clara gulped as she watched the girl's lips move since it was her who was singing that eerie version of Ring-a-ring o' roses… She seriously didn't understand. Why had nobody else noticed her? Why could nobody else hear her? Who was she? Or more precisely, _what _was she?!


	26. My Girls

Chapter 26: My Girls

Clara looked around at the pupils still working away, sort of. Some were completely out of it; work definitely not on their agenda. However, not one of them looked up at the girl stood by the door, maybe they couldn't hear her… but how the hell couldn't they hear her? She was singing for goodness sake!

"_Ring-a-ring o' 'Rosie'… a pocket full of posies…"_

Clara watched one of the girls at the back of the room shuffled uncomfortable in her seat as the song echoed increased in volume.

"Can whoever's singing please stop?" requested the teacher.

Clara watched as the singing girl smirked and only increased in volume. However, at the same moment, a red-haired girl sat on the first row lifted her head, only to display a rather deep frown.

"Miss, there ain't no-one singin'." she stated.

Clara looked back at the teacher who gulped slightly.

"Oh, right…" she apologised, not looking over at the girl, "Sorry…"

The girl who had just spoke up nodded slightly before returned to her work while Clara attempted to watch everything she could occurring in front of her.

"_Ashes!__** Ashes!**__" _the singing girl emphasised,_ "We all __**fall**__ down…"_

Clara watched the teacher, who was attempting to mark an essay, intensely. She made no attempt to silence the girl and for a moment, Clara honestly believed that only she could see her. However, by the way that her hand was gripped around the pen she was holding, Clara was sure she could hear her, and possibly see her out the corner of her eye. At least she wasn't the only one…

Turning back to the 'notes' on the desk in front of her, Clara watched the girl in the corner of her eye. She was looking directly at the teacher, her eyes tight and filled with was appeared to be anger. Not long after, Clara saw her raise her hand and hold it over the altar, or more precisely the candles on it. Her hand was clenched but as soon as she flattened it, the candles ignited, making most of the kids jump at the sudden change in light, especially as the candles ignited rather violently.

"What the hell goin' on?!" one of the kids cried, looked directly at the flames that were slowly growing under the girl's control.

That action in itself confirmed two things for Clara. One: the girl had abilities no human could possibly possess and Two: most of the kids couldn't see her.

The teacher, making it obvious to Clara that she was avoiding looking at the girl, shook her head slightly.

Watching the girl, Clara saw her turn to look at a pupil sat at the back of the classroom which deeply intrigued her. While every over pupil was looking at the flames, she wasn't. Instead, she was looking down at the table, shaking with what Clara assumed was fear.

"I knew this school was haunted!" one of the lad's exclaimed, "Sweet!"

The teacher stood up. "Don't be ridiculous Dec!" she cried, "Right, everybody out… Now!"

Clara gulped as she watched the girl manipulate the fire to block off the doorway, making the four kids on the front row closest to the door clamber rather quickly away from their seats.

"My God, we're trapped!" one of the girls cried.

Clara, despite being a little worried, was more focused on the teacher and the girl who hadn't been looking up at the flames like everyone else. The two of them could certainly see the girl, meaning they probably knew something about her…

The girl backed away from the fire and further towards Clara's position on the opposite side of the room, slowly pulling the flames with her.

"Just stop!" Clara cried.

Clara watched as the girl jumped, probably not used to people speaking directly to her. She turned to face Clara but before her eyes landed on her, she noticed something out of the window outside. Curious to what it was, Clara turned briefly to look out the window, only to see two people walking up the path towards the main entrance of the school.

The two people themselves looked as if they were in their early forties, the man possibly in his mid-forties. Both had blonde hair, the woman's slightly darker, and Clara could tell that due to the puffiness around the woman's eyes, she'd been crying recently.

Swiftly turning back to look at the girl, she saw her pale face crinkle slightly as she saw them. For the first time since seeing her, Clara could actually see another side to her, a more human side, if she even was human…

Quickly wiping her hand across the fire and putting it out, not leaving any trace that a fire had even occurred, the girl disappeared by fading abruptly into nothingness.

It took the kids a few moments to calm down, most of the lads bragging that they hadn't been scared, despite the fact they had been cowering more than the majority of the girls. Some things just didn't change… However, the two people who seemed the most relieved were certainly the teacher and that one particular girl, the one with the pointed nose, and butterfly clip disguising the awful lime coloured band holding some of her hair up in a loose ponytail while the rest flowed down her back. Those two certainly knew something, and Clara intended to find out what…

x-[]-x

Rushing up to her in the staff room as soon as he saw her, the Doctor gripped the side of her face as soon as she was in reaching distance.

"Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" he queried before lowering his voice to a whisper, "I heard about the fire…"

Clara shook her head. "You heard what that R.E teacher said, the kids just had an overactive imagination…" she reminded him, "There wasn't a _fire_…"

The Doctor nodded slightly and raised his eyebrow. "So how did it start?" he quizzed.

Clara sighed and leant on the bench top behind her. "It's a long story…" she admitted, "Did ya find anythin'?"

The Doctor nodded as he began to grin like a small child. Leaning down to her ear, he smirked as he began to whisper something.

"I saw a ghost." he told her giddily.

Returning to his normal height and seeing her expression remain as it was, he frowned slightly.

"And by that look, I think you saw her too…" he stated, "Am I right?"

Clara nodded slightly. "Was it that… Rosie someone?" she enquired.

"Nightingale." finished the Doctor, "I think so, yes…"

Clara sighed. "I don't get it…" she confessed, "There are no such things as _ghosts._"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and laughed slightly.

"So, you saw her… and you still don't believe?" he asked.

"No." she confirmed, "There's no such things as ghosts… They can't possibly exist!"

"Hmm…" mumbled the Doctor, "I bet you were no fun on Halloween…"

"Oi!" warned Clara, hitting her husband playfully on the arm, "Don't mock me when I'm carrying _your _baby… It's your fault I'm in this position in the first place."

The Doctor scoffed. "Um, I believe it takes two to tango." he reminded her.

Clara laughed slightly and shook her head. "Oh… It's so funny when ya use human expressions…" she confessed, "You daft old thing…"

"Oi!" he moaned, "I'm not _that_ old…"

Clara rolled her eyes as she reached up and straightened his beloved bowtie.

"Of course you're not…" she concurred, "Anyway, this ghost who ain't a ghost…?"

"What about her?" asked the Doctor.

"Well, what is she?" queried Clara.

The Doctor sighed, moved to her side and also leant against the bench top.

"Its complicated." explained the Doctor.

"Well," began Clara, "I'm not due to 'inspect' another lesson until Period 4, so start talkin', Chin Boy."

The Doctor laughed slightly and thought about where to begin before starting.

"She's an alien…" he explained, "But she's also human."

Clara frowned as the Doctor paused.

"I'm gonna need a bit more than that." she informed him.

The Doctor sighed once again and rubbed the side of his neck.

"Rosie Nightingale was a human who died." he explained, "When she died, her neural energy, what you might call a soul, was released from her body…"

"Meaning?" enquired his wife.

The Doctor smiled softly. "Meaning when her physical body died, her _'soul' _didn't."

Clara nodded. "Okay…" she attempted to understand.

"Well, there are certain types of gas creatures which exist in the atmospheres of many planets, Earth included." he continued, "These aliens have mimetic properties, meaning they can duplicate gasses or energies which they come into contact with. Are you with me?"

"I think so..." answered Clara, "You're sayin' they can… clone gasses and energy in the atmosphere...?"

The Doctor nodded. "Well, even though most of them end up cloning nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere, I mean, 30% of the nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere actually are these aliens, but anyway, some of them capture the neural energy of people who have died…"

Clara moaned with disgust. "So basically, these aliens clone dead people…?!" she attempted to understand, "That's disgustin'!"

"Not really." stated the Doctor, "Before they intercept neural energy, they're not sentient. They're just creatures of instinct, sound, light, heat… nothing more. But when they come into contact with a person's neural energy, they experience thought for the first time in their existence."

"So… they steal a person's identity?" quizzed Clara, "That's basically what you're sayin'."

"No… Physically the 'ghost' is this gas creature." he attempted to reword, "But mentally it's still the human whose dies. In human terms, this _hybrid_ is a ghost."

Clara nodded slightly. "So basically, ghosts are aliens?"

The Doctor sighed. "Yes and no." he answered.

"See… that's what confusin' me 'ere." she admitted.

The Doctor rubbed his forehead. "Okay…" he started, "Think of it like… magic."

Clara frowned slightly. She had no idea where he was going with that explanation but she was willing to give it a go. Surely it couldn't become anymore confusing…

"Okay…" she agreed.

"Well, magic is just a science that people haven't discovered, so it's something incredible and scary because it can't be explained." the Doctor told her, "That's the same as these creatures. To humans at the moment, they're ghosts. They're scary and many people don't believe in them because they don't understand what they are…"

Clara nodded slowly. "So… are ghosts real?" she asked.

The Doctor smiled softly. "Is magic real?" he asked.

Clara shook her head. "No." she answered.

"Well, you've just answered your own question there." the Doctor pointed out, "It's just people's understanding, or lack of."

"Right..." Clara attempted to understand after what felt like an eternity to the Doctor.

"Now here's the bigger question," began the Doctor, "Why's she so angry?"

Clara frowned. "Angry?" she queried.

"Well, considering she almost burnt you to death," he started, "I'm guessing she's angry with something."

"Or someone..." Clara pointed out, "Anyway, I 'ave a question: How'd she control the fire?"

The Doctor sighed. "That's where I'm not 100% sure." he confessed, "Usually these 'ghost' creatures can control the elements linked to their deaths. For example, if they drowned they can manipulate water… but her death wasn't linked with fire, she fell. If anything, the only element she should be able to control is the wind…"

"That still don't explain why she's angry…" Clara reminded him.

Both of them turned to face each other after that, Clara's eyes and smirk almost identical to her husband's.

"She didn't fall, did she?" Clara whispered, "Her death weren't an accident…"

The Doctor's smile increased. "Oh, that's my girl." he smirked, "Clever like always…"

Clara raised her eyebrow. "_My girl?_" she interrogated, ignoring his comment in the hope her cheeks wouldn't turn a deep shade of crimson.

The Doctor thought about it. "Yeah, you're right… not much of a ring to it." he thought aloud, "_My Clara_… that's much better.

Clara nodded. "I like that more." she confessed.

"Well," he began, placing his hand carefully on her abdomen which had swelled a lot more over the past days, despite the fact it couldn't be seen because of Clara's loose fitted tops, "I could always say my gir… no I couldn't."

Clara's interest suddenly piqued as he stopped dead. "What was that?" she questioned.

"Nothing." the Doctor answered much too quickly.

"Doctor…" she whispered, "What were ya about to say?"

Removing his hand from her stomach, he folded his arms and looked down at the floor, desperate to end that particular conversation.

"Nothing!" he repeated.

"_Girls_?" she quizzed, "Were you about to say 'girls'?"

"No." answered the Doctor, "No I wasn't."

Clara sighed. As he was still refusing to make eye contact, she was sure he knew the gender of the baby, and she found it really sweet that he was still trying to keep it from her even though he was in an almost impossible situation.

When they had first found out, she had told him she didn't want to know the gender straight away. She didn't want all the stress of labelling the baby or picking a name and of course, he agreed since he wanted to keep her happy. To be fair, he'd done a good job, until now…

"But… is the baby a girl?" she enquired.

The Doctor began to mess with his hands. "Possibly…" he answered, refusing to lie to her.

Placing her hand gently on her tummy, she looked up at her husband.

"Doctor…" she said almost begging. She pretty much knew anyway…

The Doctor sighed, meeting her eyes looking boldly up at him.

"Yes…" he whispered, "Yes, she's a girl."

"We're… we're havin' a girl…" Clara said in a whisper, needing to hear the words roll off her tongue.

Clara felt her eyes welling up and the Doctor once again placed his hand on her swollen abdomen, in the exact same place as before.

The Doctor smiled softly down at her. "My girls…" he whispered.

Clara smiled. "I think I like that more…" she confessed, her voice breaking as joyous tears began to escape her eyes.

The Doctor nodded slowly, his smile beaming away. "Yeah." he confirmed, "My girls…"


	27. Meeting at the Memorial

Chapter 27: Meeting at the Memorial

For a few moments, the Doctor and Clara just stood in the kitchen area of the staff room, completely oblivious to other teachers talking just around the corner from them.

Clara, who was completely ecstatic after her recent discovery about the baby, was leaning against the Doctor's frame for support. As they couldn't be seen by any of the other teachers, she felt no problem of any kind when she captured the Doctor's lips with her own. It was brief and sweet, something the Doctor personally didn't like. As Clara pulled away and remained leaning against his chest, her glistening eyes looking up at him, he knew for a fact he wanted more. However, before he even had the chance to initiate anything else, Clara was forced to quickly pull away as the Head teacher, Mr Denman, entered the staff room through the door directly in front of them.

Acknowledging them as he passed with a weak smile, he approached the congregated area where most of the teachers were, receiving a bitter yet understandable silence by the time he stopped. Both curious, the Doctor and Clara slowly followed, stopping by the desk which the staff room computers sat at. The Doctor, being the gentleman he tried to be for his wife, gently held his hand on her back as he guided her to the edge of the desk, allowing her to prop herself on the edge of it in order to let her have a couple minute sit-down.

"I've… just had a meeting with Mr and Mrs Nightingale…" the Head explained, "About Rosie's death."

"And?" one of the male teachers stood by a large bookcase asked.

The Head sighed. "The Police are… investigating the circumstances that led to her death." he explained, "They're treating it as suspicious… they don't think her fall was accidental."

The Doctor and Clara exchanged quick glances, the Doctor momentarily raising his eyebrows before they both turned back to look at the teachers all fidgeting. Clara took the opportunity to look over at the R.E teacher she had just _inspected. _To say she looked uncomfortable was a massive understatement. What exactly was it what made her so uncomfortable, or more importantly: Why did it make her uncomfortable?

"Are you… are you saying she- she was murdered?" asked Mrs Walton, her shock clearly displayed on her petite, pale face.

The Head shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know…" he confessed, "I can't… I can't even believe that anybody in this school would harm anyone, let alone kill… It could just have been an accident or a prank that went wrong…"

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Pretty sick prank…" he whispered down at Clara.

Clara nodded in agreement before scanning the teachers in front of her. They all looked shocked. That was certainly the most obvious emotion to spot in the room.

When her eyes fell back on the R.E teacher, she could see that she was shaking… with fear. Following her gaze, Clara turned her head to look past Mr Denman.

The Doctor was startled when Clara jumped, sending a shiver along his arms and down his back.

"What was that?" he queried.

"She was just in 'ere…" Clara whispered while the rest of the staff continued to mutter about the news they'd just received.

The Doctor swiftly looked around, but his eyes never saw any pupil, dead or otherwise.

"Where?" queried the Doctor.

Clara shook her head. "She's not 'ere now…" she told him, slowly turning around to look at the R.E teacher, "It's got somethin' to do with her… She knows somethin'."

The Doctor turned to look at the teacher Clara was talking about.

"Miss Byrne?" he quizzed.

Clara looked up at the Doctor whose hand had begun to rest of the top of her back.

"Is that 'er name?" she questioned.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah." he answered, "Gráinne Byrne… Irish name, before you ask. Spelt G-r-a-i-n-n-e, pronounced 'Gron-ya'."

Clara smiled. "Spelt like Grain-E?" she smirked, "I love the Irish…"

The Doctor sighed. "It's the Irish for Grace... I think." he told her.

Clara raised her eyebrow. "You think?" she attempted to clarify.

Sighing, the Doctor nodded a little. "Irish is the one language which has always intrigued me…" he explained, "As its one of the only ones I can't speak very well."

Clara mouth fell open in surprise but her smirk couldn't allow her shock to show for long.

"So you can speak loads of Intergalactic 'Lizard' languages yet ya can't speak _Irish?" _she laughed.

The Doctor frowned, his smile making his lips twitch. "When have I ever spoken an 'Intergalactic Lizard language'?" he quizzed.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno." she answered, "It just sounded good."

Rolling his eyes, the Doctor was about to say something when the school bell rang.

"Ahh…" the Head teacher began, "Now it's time for the Remembrance Mass."

The teachers all nodded and began to head out of the classroom, all completely quiet. Gordon Denman approached Clara and the Doctor, smiling as best he could.

"Would you care to join us?" he questioned, "It's a Year 11 Mass, remembering Rosie Nightingale."

"A Memorial?" queried Clara.

Denman nodded, turning back to look at the Doctor.

The Doctor smiled lightly at him. "We'd be honoured." he guaranteed him.

x-[]-x

While all the Year 11 pupils sat on the brown, plastic chairs, all looking at a PowerPoint slide showing five pictures of Rosie Nightingale on a constant loop, the Doctor and Clara confirmed to themselves that the so-called 'ghost' was definitely that of Rosie. The only difference was the paleness of her skin.

Dotted around the edge of the room, all the teachers stood by the walls. The Doctor and Clara were also there, Clara leaning on the wall because she seriously didn't have the energy to stand for an entire mass without any support. However, if she were to collapse for some reason, one possibility to get herself out of the mass, the Doctor was literally only centimetres away. If the worst came to the worst, he'd be able to catch her easily… Not that she'd ever do that. After all, the girl still deserved some respect.

Stepping onto the stage at the front of the hall, Mr Denman received a standing ovation, mainly because that's what the rules were in that particular school: Pupils must stand for the Head Teacher.

Mrs Walton was stood by the piano at the front of the room, looking eager to play what Clara guessed were going to be the hymns. Meanwhile, the R.E teacher, Miss Byrne, was lighting the candles on the little wooden altar at the front of the hall.

"Please be seated." Mr Denman stated, resulting in all the pupils taking their seats, "As you all know, we are here today to celebrate the life of Rosalinda Catherine Nightingale, known to us all as Rosie. Her sudden death last week had affected us all deeply, but definitely you lot the most… The majority of you had known Rosie for five years, some more than that if you went to Primary school with her. She was a kind and all around friendly person. She will be missed… Now Miss Byrne, you wanted to say a few words?"

The young teacher nodded slightly, travelling up the steps on the left side of the stage while Mr Denman came down the steps on the right.

"Thank you, Mr Denman." she expressed, "As we all know, Rosie was the kind of person who… when we needed her, she'd be there for us. She was intelligent and caring, an all around nice person who…"

Clara frowned slightly as the teacher's words trailed off momentarily. However, she wasn't an idiot. She had a strong feeling she knew the reason why…

"Who…" Miss Byrne tried to continue, "Who liked… liked to make people smile. Mr Denman's right when he says… she-she will be missed."

Both the Doctor and Clara's eyes widened as Rosie's ghost suddenly appeared on the stage, right in front of Miss Byrne as she attempted to get off the stage. Doing her best not to appear frightened, the teacher continued, much to Rosie's annoyance.

The entire student body rose to their feet at a priest dressed in white entered from a door at the back of the hall while Mrs Walton began playing the first hymn, one which seemed to be trying too hard to be cheery.

While the pupils began to mumble words they clearly didn't wish to sing, both the Doctor and Clara watched Rosie intensely. She was scanning over the crowd, clearly looking for someone. When that came to no avail, she turned to look at the piano. It seemed that it wasn't just Clara who didn't like the tune being hammered out of that precious instrument. With a quick wave of Rosie's hand, the singing ceased and became a large gasp as water suddenly began to flood out of the instrument.

The Doctor's jaw dropped. "How… how the hell can she control water too?!" he cried in a whisper, "She fell! She didn't drown…"

Shaking the crowd up by blowing open all the doors to the hall with a strong gale of wind, Rosie smirked as people began to panic. However, the Doctor could tell that it wasn't because she wanted to scare anybody, it's because she wanted attention, or more specifically, she wanted people to see the blank slide on the PowerPoint. However, her plan wasn't working in her favour…

Stopping the wind gusting through the room, Rosie's shoulders fell in defeat. She watched over the panicking crowd, the one which was rapidly evacuating the Hall under the teacher's orders. All but ready to leave, Rosie looked up slightly and allowed her eyes to fall onto the Doctor and Clara. Gasping slightly and allowing her eyes to widen, she cocked her head to the side, wondering if those two people, the only two in the room who weren't trying to leave, could actually see her…

Clara gasped as Rosie jumped abruptly, appearing half a metre in front of her and the Doctor a second later. By that moment the hall was near enough empty, the only people remaining were the three of them, well two. Did a ghost class as a person?

Rosie frowned slightly, raising her finger to Clara's eye level. Slowly drawing a number 8 in the air, she smiled softly as Clara's eyes followed it, proving to her that she could in fact be seen. Smiling properly for the first time in a while, Rosie waved briefly at the pair stood in front of her.

Returning the favour, the Doctor and Clara smiled, Clara waving back.

"Hello." she greeted.

Rosie's smile increased, making Clara frown slightly.

"Can't… can't you speak?" she questioned.

Rosie shook her head softly.

Since the hall had long been abandoned, the Doctor swiftly reached into his pocket and retrieved his sonic screwdriver. He did receive a rather sharp look off Rosie as he began to scan her but she allowed him to continue after Clara promised her nothing would happen to her, not that it mattered… she was dead!

Quickly reprogramming the device, the Doctor held the instrument closer to Rosie's neck. Activating it, he gave it a few seconds before shoving it back into his inner pocket.

"Try talking now." he ordered, "It should be okay."

Rosie shook her head slightly, a frown deepening on her face.

"I can't…" she began slowly, her eyes widening at the sound of her voice.

Putting her deadly pale hand against the front of her throat, she looked up at the Doctor.

"How… did you do that?" she asked slowly, almost as if she was learning how to use her voice once again, "I'm… I'm dead…"

The Doctor nodded slightly. "Its only temporarily." he explained, "It will last for as long as your form lasts."

Rosie nodded slowly before looking between the Doctor and Clara.

"Can you help me?" she asked, a sheer desperation surfacing in her eyes.

The Doctor smiled softly. "We'll do our best." he promised.

Rosie smiled slightly. "I want… I want my parents to know the truth." she explained, struggling to keep her voice loud as whatever the sonic had done was slowly wearing off, "They deserved to know how I died, how the fall actually happened."

Clara nodded slowly. "You were pushed, weren't you?"

Before she even had the chance to answer, Rosie's form began to flicker, fading away at the edges.

"I can't stay…" she whispered, "But I'll be back."

The Doctor nodded. "Where do we start?" he enquired.

As her voice began to crackle, Rosie moaned silently in frustration. 'Burn' was all she managed to say before fading into oblivion.


	28. Walking Among Memories

Chapter 28: Walking Among Memories

Clara didn't know many things at that moment in time. She didn't know how Rosie's death had occurred, she didn't know why the RE teacher and that other pupil could apparently see her ghost, she didn't know how Rosie could control wind, fire and water, however, what she did know was this: her husband was on a mission, and when he was on a mission, nothing was going to get in his way.

Charging down the main corridor, the one that the R.E classroom – A1 – sat on, Clara followed in the Doctor's wake like a lost puppy. Although she couldn't deny it, she liked the pace they were moving at. Ever since discovering her pregnancy, the adventures they tended to go on certainly had lacked the fast walking and running she had gotten herself used to.

"Alright you." she demanded, capturing his attention and bringing him to a complete stop by the doors to the foyer, "Where are we goin'?"

The Doctor frowned slightly. "Exactly where Rosie said." he answered.

Clara shook her head up at him. "She didn't say anywhere." she recalled.

"'Course she did!" he cried, "Tell me, what was very the last word she said to us?"

"Burn," Clara replied immediately, "But that doesn't… Oh…"

Smiling as her face changed when she realised, the Doctor winked down at her.

"_Byrne_." he explained, "Not _burn_."

"So I was right?" she attempted to confirm, slowly continuing her walk along the corridor with the Doctor, "She's got somethin' to do with all this?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." he confessed, "Let's ask her."

Walking the small distance to Miss Byrne's classroom, they were fortunate enough to see her exit the room just as she began to allow her class of Year 8 pupils to enter. Waiting until all of them had entered; the Doctor tapped her on the shoulder in order to capture her attention.

"Miss Byrne?" he enquired, "May we have a moment?"

"Of course." she smiled, moving to the side of the door and allowing it to close.

By that point, the entire corridor was still, leaving just Miss Byrne, the Doctor and Clara stood in the cool depths of the school.

"What can I do for the two of you?" she queried.

The Doctor watched Clara move to his side, making sure there was ample room between her and Miss Byrne. After all, for all he knew at that moment in time, she could have been a mass murderer.

"Rosie Nightingale." the Doctor stated after a moment, "How _exactly _did she die?"

Watching the woman's eyes widen, Clara's eyebrow shot up. With that reaction she was absolutely certain, she did know something.

"W-What?" she stuttered, "How should I know?"

"You tell me." challenged the Doctor.

Looking between the two people stood in front of her, a hard lump formed in Miss Byrne's throat.

"You're… you're not Ofsted, are you?" she asked, her voice faltering slightly.

The Doctor leant down to his wife, not taking his eyes off Miss Byrne.

"See that Clara?" he quizzed, "She's clever."

Shaking her head, Miss Byrne slowly tried to excuse herself.

"I'm sorry." she apologised, "I've got a class to teach."

As she turned back to her classroom door, Miss Byrne shot back, letting out a small scream as Rosie appeared in her path, blocking the door.

"Jesus Christ!" she cried, holding her chest as her heart hammered beneath her ribs.

Clara smirked slightly, almost equally to Rosie.

"That's blasphemy, Miss Byrne." Clara pointed out, "Not very good for a R.E teacher."

Giving Clara one of the dirtiest looks she had ever received, Clara just shrugged her shoulders. She and the Doctor certainly had the power her and for the first time ever, Clara was rather enjoying it, mostly because all the respect she had had for her was long gone.

"So…" the Doctor began, moving over to Rosie's side, "Rosie Nightingale. How **exactly **did she die?"

Watching the Doctor briefly acknowledge Rosie's ghost, the one she had seen for far too long, Miss Byrne gulped.

"You…" she trailed off, "You can see her?"

"You're avoiding my question." the Doctor pointed out.

Sighing, Miss Byrne looked over at Rosie, her body flooding with guilt.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered.

Rosie shook her head at her before turning to look at the Doctor. Getting the hint, the Doctor retrieved his screwdriver from his jacket pocket and remodulated the cells in Rosie's neck, allowing her to temporarily regain her voice.

Turning back to Miss Byrne, Rosie folded her arms. "Well go on." she ordered, "Tell them."

Biting her lip, Miss Byrne collapsed onto the wall behind her, her hands rubbing viciously at her stinging eyes.

"It was an accident…" she whispered.

Clara cocked her head to the side, deciding to get to the hardest question first.

"Did you kill her?" she interrogated.

Miss Byrne's head shot up ridiculously fast, her eyes burning into Clara's. With that action, the Doctor shook his head. For some reason or other, he just couldn't read her easily.

"No…" he whispered, capturing what almost looked like her desperation as she turned to face him, "But you know who did."

Miss Byrne shook her head. "She's just… a kid…" she whispered, "She didn't mean any harm."

"Kid or _not_, I died." Rosie pointed out.

Miss Byrne nodded. "And for that I'm truly sorry…" she confessed.

Rosie shuffled on the spot, rubbing her pale arms together while the Doctor slowly pulled Clara closer to him.

"Why…?" Rosie asked after a moment, capturing Miss Byrne's full attention, "Why did you do it?"

That single question piqued the attention of both the Doctor and Clara.

"Do what?" Clara enquired.

Rosie turned to look at the pair of them momentarily, appearing to hold back her initial response.

"Burn the note…" she whispered.

Clara frowned. "What note?" she queried as Rosie turned back to face the R.E teacher.

"I had to help her." Miss Byrne explained, completely ignoring Clara's question.

"And what about me?!" Rosie cried, "_I died!_ It might have been quick but it certainly wasn't painless! You… you didn't even try and help me!"

"I was in shock…" whispered the teacher.

"And I wasn't?!" screamed Rosie, "_I was dying_ and you both didn't help in the slightest!"

"Both?" queried the Doctor, "Who else was there?"

Rosie turned to him, leaving a petrified Miss Byrne quivering as she sank down onto the floor.

"It's a long story…" she admitted, "I wish I could just show you."

Clara jumped slightly as the Doctor suddenly sprung up behind her. His hands which had been supporting her lower back were swiftly lost as he reached deep into his pocket, deeper than Clara had even known possible.

"Got it!" he exclaimed, pulling out a small circular device, about twice the size of his palm.

Clara shook her head in amazement. "How'd that fit in there?" she enquired.

"Time Lord technology." he responded with a smile, "It's bigger on the inside."

Turning to face Miss Byrne, the Doctor tried not to show his amusement at the shock plastered across her face.

"Is there a room we could use?" he queried.

"What for?" questioned Miss Byrne.

"You can use my Office." a deep voice stated, making all four of them turn to in its general direction.

"What?" Miss Byrne managed to force out of her already dry mouth.

Approaching them, the man looked down at the teacher still sat on the floor. Shaking his head in disgust, he turned to look at the Doctor, receiving a smile and a small expression of shock.

"Mr Denman?" the Doctor enquired in surprise.

The Head nodded. "I knew you two weren't from Ofsted." he explained before looking down at Miss Byrne, "Although, I never expected them to find out that _you, _of all people, would be involved with her death… How could you, Gráinne?!"

Pushing herself to her feet, Miss Byrne shook her head.

"It wasn't like that!" she insisted.

"I suppose." Rosie agreed, "But how about you tell them what happened, eh?"

Mr Denman's eyes widened as he turned to look towards Rosie's location.

"Who… who was that?" he quizzed.

Miss Byrne frowned. "You can't see her?" she asked.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid! Of course he can't!" he cried, "The only reason you can see her is because you're involved with her death… _somehow._"

Miss Byrne turned to look at him. "Then, how come you can?"

The Doctor smiled lightly. "Because… I can." he answered, not wanted to admit the truth was because he was a time traveller, "Well, come on."

Making his way up the corridor with Clara, Mr Denman and Miss Byrne, the Doctor easily found the Head's office since it was opposite the Reception.

Once the four of them were inside, Rosie appeared once again and allowed the Doctor to quickly give her her voice back.

"Okay," began Mr Denman, "What exactly is happening?"

Nodding as Clara sat down on Denman's sofa, the Doctor once again retrieved the circular device from his pocket.

"Right." began the Doctor, "Miss Nightingale, place your hand on that."

Denman frowned. "I do beg your pardon?"

Seeing the Doctor was extremely busy doing whatever it was he was doing, Clara stood up and made her way over to the Head. There was no doubt in his mind that he believed that he was slowly going mad.

"Look." she started, "This is gonna sound completely crazy but… Rosie's in this room."

Denman scoffed. "Like a ghost?" he quizzed, "Are you being serious?"

Smiling softly, Clara nodded. "I know it sounds mad." she agreed, "But before all this happened, I never believed in ghosts. However, now I'm not sure…"

"Well," the Doctor piped up, "Rosie's ready."

Clara turned to her husband. "For what, exactly?" she enquired.

The Doctor smiled. "We're gonna walk through her memories…" he explained, turning and aiming his sonic at the device which Rosie's ghost had her dead hand on, "Geronimo."

x-[]-x

The feeling was overpowering, almost as if she were falling at a million miles an hour yet not at all. She lost all sense of direction and time in a matter of seconds, feeling everything around her burn and bubble despite the fact she knew nothing physically was causing the feelings around her.

"Doctor!" she cried, unable to endure it much longer, especially as she could almost sense that the baby was also starting to get agitated.

After what seemed like forever, the feeling ended and she found herself in her husband's arms, the best place she could possibly find herself after that awful feeling.

When she first looked up at him, she could see three of him, possibly four, all blurring in her heavy eyes. Shaking her head abruptly, hoping to nudge the feeling away, Clara soon found herself being cradled by the Doctor.

"Sorry…" he apologised as soon as her eyes managed to focus properly on him, "I forgot that the process would take its toll on you like that."

Sighing as the Doctor assisted her to her feet; she looked around at Mr Denman and Miss Byrne, both baffled by where exactly they were. Then again, so was she.

"Everybody okay?" the Doctor queried, only receiving two brief nods and a mumble off Denman.

When Clara managed to look around, she noticed she was stood in the corridor which looked over the yard, the same corridor where she had seen Rosie's ghost stood the first time she had seen her.

Appearing at Clara's side, Rosie smiled at her, especially when her eye's widened at the difference in Rosie's physical appearance.

"I like it in here." Rosie told her, her voice sounding human and very unlike her almost robotic sounding voice the Doctor had given her, "It's like I'm alive again."

"You look…" Clara trailed off, amazed at how different she looked with her skin actually being the correct colour.

"Alive." whispered Denman, a tear forming in his eye as he could actually see her, "My God Rosie, look at you…"

Rosie soon turned to look at her ex-head, smiling softly as he walked over to her.

"It's good to see you Gordon…" she whispered, "Or more to the point, it's nice that you can see me."

"Have… have you really always been there?" he asked.

Rosie nodded. "With Mum, Dad, you, _Miss Byrne…_" she explained, "You're my Godfather, after all. I've missed you."

"Ah…" realised the Doctor, "So that's the connection."

Rosie turned to face him and nodded. "Yeah." she answered, "He's been best mates with my Dad since they were both 15."

It was at that moment when Rosie shuddered, snapping her head around as the school bell in her memory rang.

"Its time…" she whispered, turning to face Miss Byrne, "Ready to go?"


	29. Moving On

Chapter 29: Moving On

Standing firmly with her husband's hands supporting her lower back, Clara watched the memory unfolding in front of her intensely, although she didn't really have to since there wasn't much happening at that moment.

Taking a deep breath, something more for show rather than actual need, Rosie turned to the group, looking directly at her Godfather.

"See ya." she whispered.

Allowing his face to drop, Gordon, or rather Mr Denman, shook his head slightly.

"Where are you going?" he queried.

Before she had a chance to reply, Rosie faded along with the corridor they were stood in. Watching the environment change, Clara shuddered slightly, capturing the Doctor's attention.

"What's the matter?" he questioned quietly.

"N-nothing." she answered.

Usually he would have interrogated her further, well, not interrogated, but at the very least questioned her once again. However, his more immediate attention was directed at the scenes unfolding around him. He certainly couldn't deny it; he was extremely interested about what had occurred regarding Rosie's death.

The four of them ended up stood in a classroom, a room Clara had never seen before. With all the clues surrounding Rosie's death, she had assumed that the 'story', so to speak, would have started in Miss Byrne's classroom. However, that fact definitely wasn't correct.

Judging by the colourful posters plastered across the peeling walls, she guessed they were in an English classroom, one with five tables with six chairs each, all of them filled with a pupil.

"Where are we exactly?" Clara enquired.

"C7." answered Mr Denman, "Miss Pointer's English classroom... This is the lesson Rosie was in before she was found... In fact, she's over there."

Turning to look in the direction Mr Denman was talking about, Clara and the Doctor saw a happy, living Rosie sat at the one of the desks at the back of the classroom.

Soon the environment around them sped up, almost as if it was fast-forward. By the time it ended, the four of them found themselves about half way through the English lesson.

At that point, Miss Pointer, was marking exercise books at her desk while the class were working, in a certain level of noise, but working at the very least.

As the four of them turned to look at Rosie, they noticed she was having a good laugh with a girl sat beside her, a girl soon identified as Louise Banks, her best friend according to Mr Denman. Despite the fact she was happy, Clara and the Doctor could both see she was reluctant to look at the girl sat opposite her, the girl Clara recognised as the one who also seemed to be able to see Rosie's ghost earlier that day in Miss Byrne's room.

"Who's that?" Clara questioned the two teachers.

Denman looked over at who Clara was referring to.

"Oh, that's Michaela van Horton." he explained, "She and Rose had a bit of a tiff not to long ago... They didn't speak much after that."

Clara nodded slightly. "I suppose that's why she ain't wantin' to look at 'er." she put forward.

Denman nodded in agreement. "Possibly."

During that particular conversation between Denman and his wife, the Doctor took the opportunity to look over at Miss Byrne. During the mention of that particular girl, Michaela, she seemed to become very tense. However, after Clara and Gordon stopped talking, he noticed her gulp, making him suddenly turn and look over at the table. It was at that moment when Rosie raised her hand, soon capturing the attention of her teacher.

_"Can I go to the toilet, Miss?" she requested, grinning at a comment Louise had just said to her._

_Miss Pointer nodded. "Quick as you can."_

_Rosie smiled as she rose from her chair. "Thanks."_

_Quickly weaving between the tables in the classroom, the four of them were about to follow, Miss Byrne very reluctantly, when they saw Michaela stand up and gather her belongings together, earning herself a deep frown off Miss Pointer._

_"Excuse me!" she stated, "Where do you think you're going?"_

_"I've got a mentoring session." Michaela replied._

_Miss Pointer nodded slightly. "Very well."_

Smiling with gratitude, Michaela getting up was the last thing the four of them saw before the scene changed to the corridor outside which Rosie was heading down towards the staircase.

_She has just passed through the double wooden doors and had begun to head down the stairs when the doors swung open behind her._

_Allowing her curiosity to get the best of her, Rosie turned around when she reached the small landing between the staircases, meeting the gaze of the girl the Doctor and Clara had just learn the name of: Michaela._

_"Oh, what the hell do you want?" moaned Rosie, "Come to give me another death threat?"_

Mr Denman's face dropped while Miss Byrne's head dropped in what looked like shame, easily capturing Denman's attention.

"You knew?!" he cried.

The Doctor nodded slightly, putting the pieces together in his mind.

"That was the note Rosie mentioned earlier, wasn't it?" he attempted to confirm, "The one you burnt."

Gráinne shook her head, her eyes threatening to explode at any moment when she looked up at him.

"I can't believe this..." Denman sighed, turning back to watch the scene between the two teenage girls.

_Michaela began to head down the first flight of stairs, soon to be on the landing Rosie was stood on._

_Just as Rosie was about to continue on her way, Michaela quickly hopped in front of her, pushing her away from the stairs towards the window overlooking the teachers car park below. Rosie gasped at the sudden change in momentum, especially as her feet slipped on a puddle of water she found underneath her feet._

_"What the hell are you playing at?!" she cried once her shock dissipated, "Get a life, Michaela!"_

_"Aww... You gonna go crying off to Mr Denman?" she queried, her vicious smirk surfacing._

_Rosie sniggered. "Just because I have a family who actually love me, there's no need to be jealous." she quipped back._

_"I'm not!" stamped Michaela, "Trust me, I don't bed my Godfather's."_

_Rosie's mouth dropped slightly, however, she didn't let it get to her._

_"Oh, try a new one." she demanded, "It's getting boring... just like you."_

_Shoving past her, Rosie was about to move away from her when she slipped on the water. Shrieking and grabbing onto the bannister, Rosie allowed her frantic heart to normalise._

_"Bloody 'ell..." she breathed out._

_Sniggering, Michaela pulled Rosie back to her. Giving her a rather sharp smack across the face, the Doctor had to hold Denman back, reminding him everything he was seeing was just a memory._

_Holding her already red cheek, Rosie swore to herself before glaring over at Michaela._

_"What the actual hell?!" she screamed._

_"You're a cow!" spat Michaela._

_"Me?!" scoffed Rosie, "Have you looked in the mirror lately?!"_

The four of them were transfixed on the moment, watching uneasily as they knew what was going to happen soon.

_Michaela rolled her eyes after a moment. __"You don't know me." she stated._

_"Oh, I do." confirmed Rosie, "You're a control freak! You use people."_

_"Like who?!" Michaela shouted._

_"Joe." answered Rosie, "You were only with him to get to Ed... I'm so glad he turned you down. He can do so much better."_

_It was then that Michaela flipped, her anger building over the past few minutes exploding in a split second._

_"Bitch!" she spat, shoving her rather forcefully towards the wall, Rosie's head cracking in the process._

Clara's body tensed and she tightly squeezed her husband's hand as Rosie, who was dangerously close to the stairs, lost her balance and tumbled down the steps, hitting each one with an inhumane amount of force.

Unable to watch, Clara dug her face into the Doctor's chest, her eyes unable to contain her tears much longer. Gordon was almost as upset but somehow, he was managing to hold himself together.

Looking down at Rosie's shattered form, he dared to rub his left eye, hoping it would contain his rapidly approaching tears.

"Well, that's that..." he whispered Gordon.

The Doctor shook his head slightly. "No..." he whispered, "No, I don't think it is."

Pulling herself together, Clara composed herself enough to look down at Rosie's mangled body sprawled out on the floor below.

"Wait a minute, didn't Rosie say it took a few minutes before she died?"

"Yeah, I did." Rosie answered, her living memory appearing next to Clara, looking down at her dying self.

"Oh well." stated Miss Byrne, "Her neck was broken and that was what killed her. We don't need to see anymore."

Raising her eyebrow, Rosie signalled for the Doctor to quickly shove his circular memory device into Miss Byrne's palm.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she demanded.

"He couldn't get all the memories off me." explained Rosie, "But you'll have them."

Activating the device, the Doctor grabbed hold of Clara as the memories changed from Rosie's to Gráinne's, once again going through that atrocious feeling which made Clara feel violently sick.

Managing to regain her balance quicker than before, Clara supported her throbbing head.

"Please tell me we ain't doing that again." she requested.

The Doctor nodded, turning his attention to a memory of Miss Byrne discovering a broken Rosie lying on the B Floor corridor staircase with Michaela knelt down next to her, continuously apologising to the bleeding teenager.

After giving an accurate description about what had happened, including all the details about the 'stupid' threats she had made to Rosie, Michaela watched as Miss Byrne knelt down next to a whimpering Rosie.

_"I didn't mean it..." Michaela sobbed, "I didn't mean to hurt her..."_

_Miss Byrne nodded, directing her attention to Rosie._

_"Rosie honey, where does it hurt?" she questioned._

_"Everywhere..." she managed to breath out, clearly unable to move._

_Miss Byrne nodded. "Okay sweetie." she confirmed, looking up at Michaela, "Get the Front Office to ring for an ambulance. Quickly!"_

_Nodding as she stood up, Michaela soon rush down the stairs._

Miss Byrne sighed. "You know the rest." she reminded Denman, "By the time the ambulance arrived, she was dead."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow. "Yes." he understood, "But it wasn't the neck injury which killed her, was it?"

Clara and Gordon's faces fell. "I'm sorry?" Denman attempted to confirm.

The Doctor looked back down at her. "Look at her." he ordered, "She may be hurt but her neck certainly isn't affecting her enough to kill her."

"So... how did she die?" queried Denman.

The Doctor turned to look over at Miss Byrne. No words even needed to be said...

_"I..." Rosie attempted to say, "I can't feel my legs..."_

_Miss Byrne nodded slightly, just as the doors on the floor below opened, more than likely staff members coming to help._

_It was at that moment when Gráinne brought her hand up to Rosie's face._

_"What are you doing?" she enquired weakly._

_"I'm sorry..." she whispered._

What happened next shocked not only Mr Denman but the Doctor and Clara too and due to it, Rosie's body fell limp seconds later, moments before at least four other staff members shot up the stairs.

"You..." Denman whispered, turning to face Miss Byrne, "You killed her..."

"I helped her." argued Gráinne, "She never would have recovered from those injuries!"

"It's murder!" screamed Gordon, "You suffocated her!"

"You can't prove it!" she exclaimed.

The Doctor glared down at the two-faced teacher. "Try me." he challenged.

x-[]-x

Seeing a Miss G. Byrne being ushered into a police car after being arrested for Rosie's murder made Clara feel extremely proud of her husband. God only knows how he pulled the evidence together, but he had nevertheless.

"Thank you." whispered Rosie, standing close to the Doctor as they watched from Mr Denman's office.

"You are more than welcome." he confirmed.

Nodding slightly, Rosie looked over at the two middle aged people watching the police car drive away alongside Mr Denman.

"That's the only thing I wish I could do." Rosie confessed, "Say goodbye to Mum and Dad... I'll be back in a minute."

Watching Rosie fade away from next to their side and appear next to her parents, the Doctor sighed.

"Well, that's that." the Doctor stated.

Clara shook her head slightly. "Ain't there any way you can 'elp her say goodbye?"

The Doctor sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe..." he answered, "But why would I? It'll just hurt them more."

"Because its their last chance to say goodbye." Clara explained.

The Doctor shook his head slightly. "I don't know..."

"Come on, Doctor." encouraged Clara, "If you had one last chance to say goodbye to someone you loved, you'd jump at the chance."

The Doctor sighed as he began to nod. "I suppose." he agreed.

x-[]-x

Standing on the doorstep alongside Rosie's ghost, excited at the prospect of being able to talk to her parents, the Doctor was anticipating exactly what he was about to do. Of all the things he had experienced that day, that was by far the most nerve-wracking. After all, he didn't like endings.

As the door opened, the Doctor was taken aback when he saw the woman, obviously Rosie's mother.

"S-Sally?" he stuttered.

The woman, much more tired looking than he remembered, rested slightly against the door.

"Can I help you?" she queried.

"Sally Sparrow." he repeated, a smile forming on his face.

"Not for the last 17 years." she explained, "I'm Sally Nightingale now... Do I know you?"

The Doctor nodded slightly. "I know last time I had a different face, but I'm still me."

Sally frowned a little but couldn't help but smile. "I'm sorry?"

"Sally Sparrow." the Doctor repeated, "Battled the Weeping Angels in order to save me. I don't think I ever said thank you for that."

Upon hearing those words, Sally's eyes widened.

"Doctor?" she managed to breathe out.

"Hello Sally." he greeted.

"What-What are you doing here?" she questioned.

Looking down at Clara who urged him silently to continue.

_"Go on."_ she mouthed.

Looking back at Sally, the Doctor smiled weakly.

"I... I was wondering if you wanted to say goodbye to Rosie," he explained as he activated his screwdriver, "Considering she's stood behind you."

Taken aback, Sally slowly turned around, gasping slightly when her eyes fell onto her daughter.

"Ro... Rosie?" she managed to force out of her mouth.

Smiling as the pair embraced in a tight hug, the Doctor and Clara received a mouthed thank-you off Rosie before disappearing away from their home.

Gripping the Doctor's hand, Clara rested her head on his arm as they began to walk the small distance back to the TARDIS still in the school grounds.

"So," began Clara, "I have one question about Rosie, well, two."

Smiling into her hair, the Doctor laughed slightly. "Which are?" he queried.

"One: How'd Rosie control all the elements?" she quizzed.

"Um..." thought the Doctor, "Wind: Because of the fall, Water: The puddle she slipped on before falling and I believe fire because that death threat note was burnt."

Clara nodded. "And what's gonna 'appen to her now?" she enquired.

The Doctor sighed. "She'll move on." he explained.

Clara stopped suddenly. "Move on where?" she interrogated.

The Doctor smiled. "Sorry." he stated, "Your two questions are up."

Clara rolled her eyes before falling back onto his arm.

"Hate you." she told him.

The Doctor laughed slightly before leaning down and kissing her hair.

"Love you too." he whispered.


	30. Double Heartbeat

Chapter 30: Double Heartbeat

Clara wasn't usually a pushy person; Clara wasn't usually a demanding person. Usually, she could easily stand at the side of her husband and let him take her wherever he fancied. She would watch his face beam with delight when he showed her somewhere new and she would smile almost as equally as him at his delight. Months had passed since she had begun to do that and there had never been a time she had demanded to go anywhere. Yes, she'd demanded when flirting or teasing, but he knew just as well as her that she never meant it. However, that day, she wasn't being her usual self.

After mentioning for days that they needed to go and have her first baby scan, that morning she had decided she'd had enough of just mentioning it. That morning she had decided that they were going for the baby scan, no matter what. After all, she was at least three months pregnant, or was it four? If she was honest, she wasn't completely sure. The past few weeks had been so hectic, she had completely lost track of time, slightly ironic since she lived in a time machine.

Due to her persistence, Clara had finally found herself sat in a waiting area of some intergalactic hospital specifically chosen for her by the TARDIS. It seemed as if it wasn't just her and the Doctor who were getting excited about their daughter's development.

While the Doctor was registering Clara in the hospital's records, she was left alone amidst other pregnant species, some human looking and others so far away from human she couldn't easily describe them.

As she settled down into her seat, a woman sat opposite her, a woman who looked somewhat like a dog with golden fur and orange eyes, smiled softly as their eyes met.

"Your first?" she queried, noticing Clara's apprehension.

Clara nodded slowly, smiling softly in response. "Yeah…" she whispered, "And you?"

The woman laughed slightly. "Third litter." she explained, patting her swollen stomach partly hidden under a simple black dress, "Only two this time. Nowhere as big as my last one… Nine."

Clara's eyes widened slightly but her smile still remained. "Nine?" she repeated.

The woman nodded. "I said to Denver, my mate, that there was no more after them, yet here I am." she laughed, "I'm Bex, by the way."

Clara's smile increased. "I'm Clara." she introduced, "So… how-how many children 'ave ya got, if ya don't mind me askin'?"

"Oh, it's no bother, dear." Bex insisted, "Four in my first litter, nine the second time and two on the way, so all in all thirteen, soon to be fifteen."

"Bloomin' 'ell." she stated, receiving a large grin off Bex, "How d'ya 'andle that many?"

Bex laughed softly. "It's pretty normal around my way." she explained.

Clara smiled. "So, I take it that ya partner ain't here?" she questioned.

Bex nodded. "Oh, no." she confirmed, "I've been here enough times to handle this on my own. Besides, I'd rather Denver remain with the pups rather than have some stranger look after them."

"Fair enough." agreed Clara, quickly looking around for any sign of her husband.

"You alright?" quizzed Bex.

Clara quickly turned her head and nodded in response. "Yeah." she replied, "I just… don't know where me husband is."

Bex sighed softly. She was just about explain he wouldn't be too long when a man who took a seat next to her, kissing her on the side of her face.

"Found him." Bex stated, "At least, I hope that's him."

The Doctor's eyebrow shot up as Clara giggled. "Oh, have you ladies been talking about me?" he enquired.

"Oh, certainly not." confirmed Bex.

Clara smirked, meeting the Doctor's playful gaze when he turned back to face her.

"Well, if you'll excuse me." whispered Bex, slowly pushing herself up off her chair.

"Bye Bex." Clara responded.

The Doctor smiled as Clara settled back down into his arms. "She seemed nice." he commented.

Clara nodded. "She was." she confirmed before looking up at him, "How long we gotta wait?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders slightly, carefully as he tried desperately not to disturb her.

"Not too long." he answered, "Five, ten minutes."

Clara nodded softly. "Ten minutes." she repeated.

x-[]-x

Ten minutes came and went, then another, then another. However that didn't bother Clara; her husband on the hand was a completely different story. With his fingers wiggling and toes tapping, Clara had given up leaning on his shoulder, mostly because he couldn't keep still. It was almost as if he was sitting on hot rocks.

"You know it would have been quicker to do this in the TARDIS." he pointed out.

Sighing rather loudly as she pulled him back to lean on his chair, Clara couldn't help but smile as she interlocked her fingers with his.

"Stop moanin'." she sighed, "We'll get there soon enough."

Sighing in defeat, the Doctor nodded, allowing her to once again attempt to lean on his shoulder.

For a moment they just watched the patients around them, coming and going, crossing the floor as they moved between the wards. Unfortunately, that didn't hold the Doctor's attention for long and due to the boredom slowly creeping up on him, he began to flick his fingernails together, deeply fascinated by the sounds he was creating.

For the first minute, Clara didn't mind, or the second minute, or the third. However, every second that passed slowly built up. She did do her best to try and block out the noise but by doing so, it only amplified it more, deeply annoying her after the fourth minute.

"Can ya stop?!" she snapped, making the Doctor freeze like a thief who'd been caught in the act.

"Sorry..." he whispered, realising just how wound up his wife was getting. Oops...

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, her smile long disappeared.

Realising he wasn't going to get out of that one easily, the Doctor decided it would be best to remove himself from the equation rather swiftly. Pushing himself up, he looked down at his wife who bit her lip at his sudden movement.

"Drink." he began, "Do you want one?"

Letting her head fall slightly, Clara began to knit her fingers together.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered, 'I-I shouldn't 'ave snapped."

Cupping her cheek and softy stroking it with his thumb, the Doctor smiled softly down at her.

"It's okay." he promised, "So, water?"

She nodded in response before watching him stride away. It was then that she began to make conversation with the other women around her, anything to pass the time.

x-[]-x

After what felt like forever, and several journey's to the machine for another glass of water for his wife, the Doctor and Clara were finally called through into an examination room by a Nurse who looked almost human, something Clara was grateful for.

With a smile which showed no sign of softening, she began to ask all the basic questions while Clara sat up on the table: Names, Species, Age, etc.

"Right honey," she started as Clara carefully lay back, slightly nervous which was more than noticeable to both the Doctor and the Nurse, "This is your first scan, right?"

Clara nodded as the Nurse began to mess around with some metal arch connected to the table which for the moment was above her head. Briefly visually examining it, Clara was startled as a bright electric blue light began to emanate from it.

"Sorry honey." the Nurse apologised, "You're really nervous, aren't ya?"

Clara nodded slowly, making the Doctor smile softly.

"There's no need to be." the Nurse promised, "It's just a scan."

Clara nodded once again. "Yeah…" she whispered, "I suppose."

Quickly typing something into the monitor on the metal arch above Clara's head, the Nurse smiled down at her as she began to make the table lower down.

"Right, I need you to lay back, honey." the Nurse explained, "Then we can begin."

Doing as she was told, Clara rested her head on the soft pad, watching as the archway began to lower itself to above her abdomen. Gasping slightly, Clara fidgeted as the Nurse raised her shirt to expose her swollen stomach, a stomach which looked a little to large for someone who was only three to four months along. Maybe that was because of the Gallifreyan DNA the baby had…

Within the next few moments, between the Doctor beginning to stroke the back of her hand and the Nurse activating the scanner, Clara's ears were drawn to a sound which made her body tense momentarily, only to relax as it began to continue: her daughter's heartbeat, or more precisely, double heartbeat, just like her Dad's.

"Oh my stars…" she whispered, hitching her breath hoping to keep her tears contained. She'd had enough of crying recently.

Looking up at the monitor that the Nurse was looking at, the Doctor smiled, despite the fact he couldn't actually see it. Throughout all his life, he was sure that the beat drumming around the room was one of the most beautiful and special sounds he had ever heard in his life. It was the sound of a new life, his unborn daughter's life.

Since both the Doctor and Clara were lost within the sound, especially when they faced each other and allowed their eyes to lock, both of them failed to realise the puzzled look washed across her face.

"Um, honey?" she began, capturing the attention of both Clara and her husband, "How long is your gestation period?"

"Um…" Clara thought, "Eleven months. Why?"

"And you say you're about three/four months pregnant?" she continued.

Clara nodded, her grip tightening around the Doctor's hand.

"Why?" she questioned again, "What's wrong?"

The Nurse shook her head, looking over the results once again, then again and again. After a moment or two which seemed to drag for Clara, she was relieved to see the Nurse begin to smile once again.

"Well honey, I don't think you are three or four months pregnant…" she explained.

Clara quickly looked up at her husband before looking back at the Nurse.

"I'm sorry?" she queried.

Turning the monitor around, displaying an image of a rather large and well developing foetus, Clara looked over at the Nurse whose smile was beaming almost as much as the Cheshire Cat out of the story _Alice In Wonderland._

"I'd estimate you're around six months pregnant," explained the Nurse, "Not three or four."

Clara's eyes widened slightly, her head automatically beginning to shake.

"That-that can't be right…" she stuttered, looking down at her stomach, "I don't even look that far along…"

The Nurse shrugged her shoulders lightly. "The baby's positioned at the back of your womb." she explained, "Hence; you're not showing that much."

"But that can't be right." Clara repeated, looking around at the Doctor, "Can it?"

The Doctor sighed; allowing his already messed up mind sieve through all the memories floating around it.

"I think it is about right." he told her.

The Nurse smiled softly, allowing the very gobsmacked young woman to attempt to let the new piece of information settle in her head.

"Have you had a hectic few months?" the Nurse queried, receiving a smile and nod off the Doctor.

"Yeah, you could say that." he agreed, "A lot of… travelling."

The Nurse nodded slowly. "Deep space?" she quizzed.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "Very deep…" he answered.

The Nurse smiled once again, turning back to look at the monitor.

"Would you like to see her?" she enquired, capturing Clara's attention.

"What?" she attempted to confirm.

"Your baby." explained the Nurse, "Would you like to see her?"

Clara frowned a little. "What?" she asked once again, "Like an ultrasound image?"

The Nurse shook her head, acting as if it was the most alien thing ever to hear.

"Ultrasound hasn't been used for centuries." she told her, "It'll be a holographic projection."

Clara laughed slightly. "What? You can actually do that?" she quizzed.

The Nurse nodded as if the answer should have been obvious. It wasn't her fault that she didn't realise that Clara didn't come from that time.

"So, do you want to see her?" she asked once again.

Clara looked up at the Doctor, asking for his view without even speaking. With a soft smile from him, Clara turned back to the Nurse.

"Please…" she whispered.

"Okay." understood the Nurse, pressing a few buttons on the monitor, "Here you go."

As a 3D image appeared in midair above Clara's feet, she realised that she could no longer hold her tears in any longer.

"This is an approximation of her at 6 months old." explained the Nurse, smiling as both the Doctor and his wife were transfixed on the image.

"She… she's beautiful…" whispered Clara, allowing a silent tear to roll down her cheek, only to be wiped away by her husband a millisecond later.

"Just like her mother." he completed, kissing her on the side of her face.

Placing both his own hand and Clara's hand on the baby bump, the Doctor laughed slightly. After the hundreds of years of being sure he'd never again be in that position, he was sure that for that moment, he was completely content. Nothing was going to spoil any of it, not since he had both of his girls within his reach…


	31. The Doctor, Their Hero

Chapter 31: The Doctor, Their Hero

"Mummy!" cried the little girl.

Her older sister, who was positioned in front of her, gulped as the creature advanced towards their wounded mother.

"Keep your eyes on it." she ordered.

The little girl nodded, although her sister couldn't actually see that. She for one knew exactly what that thing was, especially after she had seen their file in the TARDIS database a few years beforehand. Not surprising since she was almost like her Grandad, meaning she had a knack for nosing around thing.

"Abby, I'm gonna try and help Mum." her older sister explained, "Stay there and keep your eyes on it. Don't even blink."

Abby kept her eyes firmly on the stone creature while her sister cautiously slipped past it, doing her best not to block out either Abby's or her mother's gaze at the creature.

"Where's Daddy?" Abby queried after a moment.

"I'm not sure." her sister admitted, "Just keep your eyes on that thing!"

She continued over towards her mother who was attempting to stand. However, a clearly broken ankle inhibited her from doing so. Meanwhile, Abby kept staring at the creature, hoping that her mother had a plan. A plan would have been very good around about then.

It wasn't long before a minor explosion originating from a broken console made the three of them jump, Abby breaking her eyes away just for a millisecond. However, that alone was dangerous.

"Emma!" cried her mother.

Emma gasped and instinctively ducked, lucky to have moved her head in time as the creature advanced. By the time Abby's eyes were back on it, its long claw-like hand was inches from her neck.

Emma's eyes immediately locked onto the creature's stone mouth which was displaying some rather nasty looking fangs. She was careful to avoid the eyes as she knew that if she looked into them, their current predicament wouldn't be their only problem.

"Abby… keep your eyes on it." Emma demanded, her hearts racing so much they sounded as if they were humming.

"I'm sorry…" apologised the little girl, "I didn't mean it."

"I know." guaranteed Emma, "Just keep lookin' at it."

Abby sighed. Truth be told, she was absolutely petrified. Ever since she had learnt about the Weeping Angels, she had always hoped she'd never encounter them. However, she knew in a situation like this, she had to be brave. Well, with a family like hers, she had to be brave the majority of the time, like it or not.

Emma began to assist her mother off the floor, careful to avoid blocking her mother's eye contact with the Angel. If both she and Abby were looking at it, its chances of moving were much slimmer.

"Ow!" her mother moaned, the pain in her ankle reaching a point even she couldn't handle easily.

Emma gulped since she could clearly see that her mother hadn't got a chance of putting any pressure on her foot and as Abby was looking at the Angel, there was no way they were going to escape that room easily.

"Can't you heal it?" Emma asked her mother.

Her mother shook her head. "Not yet." she answered, holding on around her daughter's neck.

"Damn…" complained Emma, "Where the hell is Dad?!"

"Up here!" a voice called from above them.

They all suddenly looked up towards the direction of the voice. However, Emma soon realised how costly that mistake was going to be.

"Abby!" Emma cried.

Abby immediately looked back at the Angel while Emma instinctively covered her mother and pushed her back onto the floor.

"Sorry." Abby apologised.

Luckily, when Emma looked back, the Angel hadn't moved in the slightest.

"Good thing I was looking at that." their father stated before jumping from the beam he was standing on above them.

He landed on both feet and winked over at his eldest daughter who smiled slightly at him.

Like usual, he was dressed in his silvery grey suit which was he always accompanied with a brilliant white shirt and jet black tie. Guaranteed, the tie was clipped to his shirt with a small silver fastener to keep it in place and his mousy brown hair was rough and messy.

"And where do you think you've been?" their mother queried.

Their father smiled weakly as he made his way over to his injured wife and helped Emma assist her off the floor.

"I was trying to summon your Dad." he admitted, "He has a knack for dealing with these things."

His wife smiled softly. "I take it you didn't reach him." she stated.

"Nope." he confessed.

Abby, who was still keeping her eyes on the Angel, suddenly gasped.

"That… that just moved!" she cried.

The three of them all snapped their necks towards the statue. However, it didn't appear to have moved as it was still in the exact same place.

"No it hasn't." stated Emma.

"It did!" argued Abby.

"Well, did ya blink?" she queried.

Abby shook her head. "No…" she admitted.

"Then it can't have darling." her mother assured her.

"But it did!" cried Abby, "It moved while I was still lookin' at it!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" exclaimed Emma, "That's impossible…"

"Look!" cried Abby, "Look at it now!"

The three rather concerned and alarmed family members turned to the position of the Angel. Knots were suddenly formed in their stomachs as they saw the head of the Angel slowly turn to face them, even though the four of them were looking directly at it.

"Oh my God…" trailed off Emma.

Feeling a powerful heat burn in her stomach, their mother smiled slightly.

"Right!" she ordered, "Abby, Emma, Dale! Hold on!"

Abby immediately leapt towards her mother and grabbed hold of her hand. Within a second, a large gush of golden energy encompassed them all and pulled them through another level of reality, quite roughly too.

Abby gripped onto both of her parents while the transport occurred. She absolutely hated it when they transported in that fashion but it was definitely much better than being in the same room as a Weeping Angel.

The four of them dropped onto a rather cold floor when the energy dissipated. Both Abby and Emma moaned and began to hold the side of their faces as the pressure tore through their ears.

"Oh, I hate travelling via you!" moaned Emma, referring to her mother, "It always makes my ears pop!"

"And it tastes like metal!" contributed Dale.

Her mother rolled her eyes as she stood up and put pressure on her newly healed ankle.

"Seriously?!" she objected, "Not even a 'thanks Mum for saving our lives'!"

Dale laughed slightly before wrapping his arms around his wife's waist.

"Thank-you." he expressed with a wink.

Emma recoiled in exaggerated disgust. "Oh, get a room!" she cried.

Her parents both began to laugh which soon made her smile. She then turned to her little sister whose eyes were wide with fear.

"Abby?" she queried.

"The Angel…" she began.

Both her parents and Emma quickly looked around to see the Angel smirking at them. It was still stationary but clearly getting the ability to move as it was slowly extending its hand towards them. They didn't know how or why it was hapoening but what they did understand was this: if they kept their eyes on it, it could only move slowly. However, if they stopped looking at it, it moved just as fast as it could before.

"Get behind me!" their mother ordered.

Dale quickly ushered the girls behind his wife, his face supporting a rather deep frown.

"You cannot be serious!" he cried, realising exactly what it was she was about to do.

"Ya got any better ideas?!" she cried, clenching her fists together.

"No, not really…" Dale confessed.

"Mum, just do it!" Emma shouted, interrupting her father.

"Right…" understood her mother.

Within the next moment, a bright golden energy was fired from her palms, shattering the Angel into dust. However, instead of just shattering, something else happened which neither she, her husband nor her girls had expected… a thick black gas began to rise off the Angel's remains.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me…" she whispered, watching as the gas thickened while it expanded in the space in front of them.

"Mum?" queried Abby, gripping onto her sister's hand rather tightly.

"Right, run!" their mother ordered.

Dale needed no encouragement, quickly ushered the girls with him and they all began to dash down the quickly darkening corridor.

"Where do we go?" asked Abby, not releasing her sister's hand in the process.

"Just run!" repeated her mother, "Gosh, I sound like my Dad…"

"You're seriously thinking about that now?!" Dale quizzed.

"Yeah…" she replied matter-of-factly.

"Can't we just transport out?" Emma enquired.

"No." her Mum answered, "I can't jump along with all of you for at least another few minutes."

"Brilliant…" she muttered.

The four of them continued to run down the almost dark corridor. Wherever they were was some sort of metal building, probably a space station since it was quite chilly.

As Emma ran with her sister's hand in hers, her eyes fell onto a very familiar sight at the end of the corridor, a sight which made her hearts swell with relief. Smiling slightly, she increased her speed as she ran towards it. Abby also noticed and smiled, however, she was rightly concerned.

"Can we do this, Mum?" she quizzed, "We've got no idea what point they're at…"

Both her parents had also spotted the object by then and also shared Abby's concern. However, they had bigger problems at that moment in time.

"Good point." she admitted, "But I'd rather risk that than face this… Quickly!"

The four of them ran as fast as their legs could take them. Both Dale and his wife took it in turns to glance back at the gas cloud, making sure they were all far enough in front of it.

"Tell me…" whispered Dale as his daughters sped off, "Is that gas cloud what I think it is?"

His wife gulped slightly, nodding softly. "Yeah…" shetrailed off, turning back to look at it once again. "That's the Darkness…"

"But… but I thought it was gone…" Dale confessed, "I mean, you…"

"My timelines are in flux." his wife interrupted, "In some it gone, but in others it isn't. I know in _my_ past it's gone, but that doesn't mean it's gone for good. Think about it. In the other main timeline, it's only just starting…"

"Bloomin' 'eck… your flippin' timelines give me a headache!" he cried.

She glanced over at him, smiling softly despite the fact they were in immense danger.

Dale spotted her smile and frowned. "What?" he queried.

"You've been spending too much time with me Mum." she stated.

Rolling his eyes, he shook her head. "Seriously?!" he exclaimed, "We're being chased by one of the most dangerous species in the Universe and you're thinking about that…? You are just like your Dad."

"I am, indeed." she concurred before looking over at her daughters who had just about reached the object, "Girls, get inside!"

Emma stopped as she reached it and began to bang on the door.

"Doctor!" she called, "Doctor!"

Abby also began to hit the door. They knew he'd be inside; it was the TARDIS after all.

The door swiftly open a fraction of a second later and the Doctor stood there, looking extremely confused. Abby couldn't help but notice how young he looked. This must have been quite early in his time stream… well, not too early but early enough.

The Doctor was about to say something when his eyes fell onto the cloud behind the four of them, a cloud which looked nasty, which was putting it lightly, and was approaching rapidly.

"Get inside!" he ordered, ushering the four of them inside.

Literally just as Dale stepped through the door, allowing his daughters and wife to enter first, the Doctor had a job to close the door since the TARDIS began to forcefully shake, clearly running away from what she considered to be dangerous, more than likely the cloud.

Managing to grab hold of the metal bars which ended up assisting him over to the console as the TARDIS continued to tremor, the Doctor did his best to watch exactly where the TARDIS was heading: 9000 years into the future; that was a pretty large jump…

Stroking part of the console, hoping this would somehow calm his old girl down, the Doctor sighed.

"Let me guess," he muttered to her, "The Darkness…" _Whatever that is…_


	32. Eavesdrop

Chapter 32: Eavesdrop

Clara had been happily lying on her bed after a bout of sickness, something that was becomes much less frequent but certainly not easier. It still made her throat sting and eyes water since it took her breath away and it certainly wasn't something even the Doctor could stop. She blamed it on the Timelord half of her daughter's physiology…

She had been rather comfortable snuggled up next to her husband, talking about everything and nothing, allowing her queasiness to settle, but it didn't last long as a sound began to resonate throughout the TARDIS, a knock… a knock at the door.

To say it had piqued her husband's attention was putting it mildly. She was still slightly amused at the frown which shaped his face moments later but as the knocking continued to hammer down the corridors, a knock which seemed to be full of panic, she wasn't surprised that he bounced away, destined for the control room.

Grabbing her cardigan draped over her dresser, Clara whipped it around her shoulders before heading down the metal corridors towards her desired destination. As she approached, her ears were drawn to someone's voice, her husband's.

_"Get inside!"_ he ordered to someone, capturing her attention.

Unfortunately, that was the least of her worries since a millisecond later, the entire ship began to tremor, tossing her violently into the wall opposite. The only good thing was, it didn't last long…

Stumbling back up onto her rather weak feet, using the wall as support until all her energy returned, Clara continued down to the control room. As she entered and began to climb the stairs, her immediate attention fell on the Doctor who was stood at the console.

She smiled softly at him before her attention then turned to two young dark-haired girls stood to the left of him, two girls she recognised rather well.

"Oh, 'ello." she greeted, "You're… you're the two girls from that station, ain't ya?"

The youngest nodded softly, smiling up at her.

"Abby?" Clara asked, receiving a nod in response before turning to the older one, "And… Emma?"

"Yeah." Emma replied, "Hey."

"Blimey." whispered Clara, "You two 'ave grown."

Abby nodded. "The Hylamat station thing was almost two years ago."

Clara nodded slightly. "I take it ya found ya Mum okay?" she enquired.

Abby nodded, turning to look over at someone on her left. Clara followed her gaze to a woman who was apparently her mother, a woman who she hadn't seen for a long, long time, and a woman she knew all too well… She should have known really, shouldn't she?

With her eyes wide and her jaw dropped, she looked over at her husband who she could tell had already noticed but not said anything. Then again, he hadn't had the time really.

Turning back to look at Abby's mother, Clara gulped before managing to bring herself to say her name.

"Bronwin?" she questioned.

Smiling weakly, the woman sighed. "Hey Clara…"

"You're their mother?" she attempted to confirm, "You…?"

Bronwin continued to slowly nod. "'Fraid so." she confirmed, "So… how ya been?"

Ignoring the question which was clearly trying to divert and change the present conversation, Clara fell back onto the bar behind her.

"Who else…?" she muttered.

Looking up at her husband, Bronwin smiled softly before turning back to Clara and the Doctor who soon found himself guiding Clara over to the chair adjacent to the side console.

"And this is Dale," she introduced, "My husband."

The Doctor looked over at the at the young man next to her with the small dopey smile and eyes which seemed to be…

"Your eyes are too close together." the Doctor pointed out, earning himself a harsh dig in the thigh from Clara's elbow, "Ow!"

Both Emma and Abby attempted to hide their giggles as Clara shot him a look which would have probably easily kill him if he were human... and if looks could kill in the first place.

Smiling softly as he approached, Dale laughed slightly.

"Don't worry, sir." he assured him, "You point that out every time I see you."

Extended out his hand to the Doctor, Dale smiled lightly as he and Bronwin made their way closer to the Doctor and Clara.

"It's good to meet you, sir." stated Dale.

Accepting his hand, the Doctor smiled softly. "Doctor." he corrected, "Not 'sir'... Too formal, and boring."

Rolling her eyes, Clara rose to her feet, sadly just a little too quick. Gasping as a sharp pain shot up her back, she fell back towards the chair. Out of instinct, both the Doctor and Bronwin went to grab her arms in order to assist her down. However, as soon as Bronwin came into contact with Clara, another pain shot through Clara's arm, an almighty burn which caused both of them to pull away from one another.

She cried out once again, making the Doctor's concern mount. He immediately looked over at Bronwin who was exchanging a worried look with her husband before looking over at him. With pleading eyes, the Doctor decided to keep his questions for later. His bigger concern at that moment was definitely his wife.

x-[]-x

Knowing Clara was okay and happily chatting away with Abby and Emma in the control room, the Doctor decided to head down to the kitchen, the location Bronwin had excused herself to after causing Clara's arm to burn.

He had so many questions swimming around his head: Who was she? _What was she? _Why did her coming into contact with Clara hurt her? Why did that in itself seem familiar…?

Slowing down as he dawned closer to the kitchen, the Doctor began to listen to the two people inside the room, two people he seemed to trust despite the fact he didn't even know them.

_"We shouldn't be here Dale, we really shouldn't…"_ he heard Bronwin confess.

_"Stop worrying."_ he told her, _"We can't do anything about it, not now."_

Stopping at the door, hidden from their eyesight, the Doctor began to listen intensely.

Sighing, Bronwin propped herself up onto the counter.

"He's… he's told me before that he only saw me once between… you know, my memories unlocking and then Mum being taken..." she explained, "But he's already met me once…"

Dale shook his slightly. "Yeah." he agreed, "But I thought he wouldn't remember that, well, he wouldn't remember it was you."

Bronwin smiled slightly. "Oh, yeah." she realised, "So, that one time he saw me is now, not when I saved then from the Dreamlord… Thank God for that."

Dale smiled softly and leant against the counter opposite his wife.

"You know, I've never seen them this young before." he admitted.

Bronwin nodded slightly, the smile on her face increasing slightly. "Yeah." she agreed weakly.

"How… how far along is she at the moment?" he asked.

"Six months… I think." she answered.

Dale nodded slightly. "Not long now then. Only four more months." he whispered, loud enough to capture the Doctor's attention even more intensely, especially since that didn't sound right.

If his Mathematic skills serves him correctly, and if they were indeed talking about Clara, then there should have been five months left, not four?

"Yeah…" concurred Bronwin, rubbing her forehead, "God Dale… I really feel for him. Well, both of them but mostly him…"

Dale sighed. "Look, there's nothing we can do about it." he reminded her, "Besides, it has to be done. _You_ know that better than anyone."

"Yeah I know." confessed Bronwin, "But every time I see him, especially at the moment while he's with Clara… it just reminds me how much it's gonna hurt him later on. He's… he's completely smitten with her, and losing her… I think it's gonna kill him."

The Doctor's hearts both abruptly stopped at that point, twisting in his chest and tightening so much he thought he was about to keel over… Lose _her? _Who? Clara… No, not Clara… _please,_ not Clara…

Silently retreating back into the room opposite the kitchen, a room which was completely dark, the Doctor tried to interpret their words the best way he could. However, no matter how many ways he tried to find the positive side, he just couldn't. Whatever way he looked at it, the _her_ he was going to loose always came back to being Clara…

Perhaps eavesdropping isn't always the best course of action when in the company of people who know your future…

x-[]-x

Returning to the control room, Bronwin and Dale were greeted with the sight of Clara and their two girls crying with laughter over something completely unbeknown to them.

"You lot sound as if ya havin' fun." stated Dale, his smile increasing as his daughter's attempted to regain their breath.

"Clara was just…" Emma attempted to explain but couldn't immediately due to her laughter, "She was just telling us about… the D-Doctor falling into the swimming pool when, when he was trying to remodel it."

Bronwin laughed slightly, not really seeing the side which had tickled the three of them but finding her mental picture of the actual event rather amusing.

"Well, that sounds like the Doctor." she agreed before looking down at Clara, "You okay now?"

Clara nodded slightly. "I'm fine." she answered before quickly looking around, "Where-where's the Doctor?"

Bronwin shook her head. "No idea." she confessed, "I ain't seen him."

Emma frowned slightly, turning to directly face her.

"He went looking for you." she explained, "That's what he told us, anyway."

Once again, Bronwin shook her head. "Well, we ain't seen him." she confirmed.

Clara was literally about to stand up and go and look for him when he entered the control room, his smile much weaker than usual but definite. He looked over Bronwin, Dale and the girls who all returned the smile before landing on Clara.

What she saw unnerved her deeply. It wouldn't have been obvious to many others, but it was to her. Being his wife, she knew how to read him, even when he was trying to hide stuff, and by the way his eyes were glistening in the pulsing lights of the console, what she knew was this: he'd been crying, either that or he was about to.

Deciding not to question while in their present company, she just returned the soft smile he shot in her direction, a smile she believed was completely false.

"Y'alright?" Bronwin queried, smiling as he made his way up the stairs, completely oblivious that anything was wrong at all.

"Absolutely." he confirmed, not even bothering to explain what he'd been doing. That was something he never failed to do unless he didn't wish to share the truth, usually if was down.

Nodding after a moment, possibly because she had noticed what Clara had seen to, Bronwin turned to her family.

"Well, we best be off." she piped up.

The Doctor nodded slightly, taking quick peeks over at Clara which didn't go unnoticed.

"Can I ask somethin' before ya go?" enquired Clara.

"Course." answered Bronwin.

"Why…" she began, "Why did ya come 'ere? What were ya runnin' from?"

In an instant, the sad aura which seemed to encompass the Doctor lifted, snapping him out of it within a split second. With a look of deep interest, the Doctor moved closer to the group.

"Yeah." he seconded, "What was the problem?"

Biting her lip as she looked between her husband and daughters, Bronwin turned back to face them and shrugged her shoulders lightly.

"I can't tell you _directly_." she answered.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow, smirking slightly

"So how _can_ you tell us?" he quizzed.

Sighing, Bronwin smiled slightly. "Its was something you know about." she explained, "And something you'll see much more of in the days to come."

With puzzled looks slapped firmly across their faces, the Doctor and Clara exchanged a look before turning back to Bronwin.

"Well, that was a _big_ help." Clara explained, hoping her tone wasn't too sarcastic, "Mind repeatin' it so I can write it down?"

Sighing once again, Bronwin began to move the girls towards the door.

"I'm sorry." she apologised, "You'll understand soon enough."

Pulling a lever down on the console, Bronwin smiled as the TARDIS landed,leaving the Doctor utterly gobsmacked.

"Goodbye." she stated, making her way over to the door and opening it.

After a chorus of goodbyes off the others and a series of waves, the four of them disappeared outside, leaving the Doctor and Clara lost for words for a few moments.

"Did…" Clara attempted to start, "Did she just _land_ the TARDIS?"

The Doctor nodded, his gaze fixed on the spot she had been stood moments before.

"Yes." he answered automatically, almost in a whisper.

"How… how does she know how to fly the TARDIS?" Clara questioned.

The Doctor shook his head. "No idea…" he confessed.

But he had. He was starting to put all the pieces of the puzzle together now… And he _really_ didn't like the way it was unfolding…


	33. Time Heals Everything

Chapter 33: Time Heals Everything

Clara had noticed a dramatic change in her husband in the days following their visit from Bronwin, Dale and the two girls. It was almost as if their visit had flicked a switch inside of him, making him morph from a happy, childish yet loving man into a depressed, old and lonely one. Nothing she said, did or even hinted at seemed to get through to him, and she has tried countless times. Days turned into weeks and even as she reached the seven month marker in her pregnancy, nothing seemed to chance. Even their trips out had ceased. The main highlight of her day seemed to be locating her bedroom or the kitchen after getting lost within the depths of the TARDIS, not the usual trips to intergalactic markets, alien planets or pre-historic nebula formations.

There were two main things which were bothering her most of all when it came to the Doctor. One was the way he acted around her, holding onto her like she was going to fade away, either that or break. It wasn't like she was made of glass but for some reason, completely unknown to her, he seemed to believe that was the case. The other thing was something which physically made her heart hurt. It was the fact that on many occasions, she had stumbled across him and found him close to tears, either that or he'd been crying and was refusing to show her that.

The truth of the matter was that she didn't know what was wrong, but she definitely knew that he wasn't the happy, 1000 year old alien she had married. Something had happened, and she desperately wanted to know what...

Stumbling upon the kitchen after her daily wander through the TARDIS, Clara was startled to find her husband in there, just sitting on a bar stool staring at nothing in particular.

Taking a deep breath before entering, she attempted to decide the best course of action. She was a good few foot through the door before he even noticed her.

"Hello." she greeted softly, receiving a small smile in response, nothing more.

Gently wrapping her arms around his neck from behind, her concerns were only amplified when she felt him lean against her without so much as a word.

Kissing the side of his face and moving over to his ear, she gripped his hand which was slowly trying to interlock its fingers with hers.

"Talk to me..." she whispered, silently begging, "Please."

Sighing, she felt him shake his head softly.

"I'm sorry." he apologised.

Biting her lip lightly, Clara was unsure whether to probe further but she had had enough of it all, enough of the silence between them.

"About what?" she enquired.

"I just am." he insisted.

"But what about?" she queried, struggling to contain her frustration.

Once again he shook his head. "It doesn't matter." he told her.

Roughly pulling her hands away from him, Clara gave up.

"Fine." she insisted, "Fine."

Taken aback by her minor outburst, the Doctor turned to face her, only to see her quickly vacating the room.

Dashing down the corridor, Clara made a series of hurried turns, winding up deeper in the TARDIS than usual, but she didn't care. Knowing that the Doctor had no chance of finding her easily, Clara came to a stop, leaning on the cold, metal wall for support. Since she was alone, she had no problem with letting her tears fall. No way would she let him see her cry, no matter how much he was hurting her.

x-[]-x

The Doctor's odd behaviour continued much to Clara's annoyance, so did their arguments with one another, or more precisely Clara snapping at him since he wouldn't tell her what was wrong, constantly insisting it was _nothing_.

She hated it. Yelling at him absolutely killed her inside but he was frustrating her so much, she honestly couldn't help it.

Due to their tendency to end up arguing, Clara had taken it upon herself to limit her contact with him during the day, spending most of her time making soufflés, and burning them as per usual. She'd given up trying to find out exactly what was wrong but that didn't stop her from worrying about him.

She had noticed that by her refusing to talk to him, she was slowly getting through to him, but it wasn't quick enough. What was wrong with him? What had she done...?

That day she was knelt in front of the oven as she watched yet another soufflé burn. She hadn't really got the interest in cooking it or trying to perfect it, it just gave her something to do, mainly away from the Doctor.

As she knelt there, Clara failed to notice herself crying until a hand wiped across her face, drying her tears away. Gasping at the touch, she immediately pulled away upon realising it was her husband.

"What d'ya want?" she questioned, refusing to look up at him.

Slowly kneeling down next to her, the Doctor reluctantly went to stroke her hand, cautious since she would more than likely pull away. However when he did, it seemed as though she was giving him the benefit of the doubt.

"Clara, I'm sorry." he apologised.

She shook her head. "I don't wanna 'ear it." she told him.

The Doctor gulped slightly. "Clara please..."

As she turned to face him, the Doctor's eyes widened slightly upon seeing her eyes glistening with tears while others silently trickled down her pale face.

"What's the point?" she enquired, her voice breaking, "You won't talk to me, not properly... You won't tell me what's wrong with you..."

The Doctor shook his head again. "It doesn't matter." he promised.

Clara heart dropped once again. Sighing deeply, she shook her head.

"Doctor, you're doin' it again! You're not listenin' to me!" she cried, "The fact of the matter is this: You have been miserable, and damn 'ard to live with these last few weeks. You... you take no notice of me, ya take no notice of the TARDIS, you take no notice of the baby... You've got no interest in anythin'..."

The Doctor shook his head, feeling his stomach tighten.

"That... that's not true!" he whispered.

"But it is." stated Clara, "When was the last time you even gave a damn about me?"

Clara saw his eyes tighten a little after that particular statement and his head began to shake adamantly.

"Don't you dare... Don't you ever dare say that!" he warned, "Clara, you... you are all I ever think about."

Clara sniggered slightly. "Really?" she laughed, "Ya got a funny way of showin' it."

Allowing his eyes to water, the Doctor just continued to stare at his wife, knowing that deep down she was right, she always was.

"Look at me Doctor." she continued, "I'm seven months pregnant... Every other day I'm sick, three or four times on a bad day. I can't walk very far since the pain in my back is torturous but the worst thing of all is this: I'm losing my husband... and it's killing me."

It was at that moment after seeing another band of tears steam down Clara's face when the Doctor turned away from her, making her frown deeply.

"Doctor?" she enquired.

Holding his forehead, Clara bit her lip as she saw tears run down his face faster than her own. That was something she had never seen before, and saying that it was painful was a massive understatement. As he knelt there with eyes puffy and red, he really did look like a lonely old man, a man who had experienced things and seen things no living creature should have to deal with.

"I'm sorry..." he breathed, barely above a whisper, "God Clara, I'm so sorry..."

Holding back her tears, Clara tightly gripped his hand still in her hand, feeling his frantic double heartbeat pulse through her skin.

"Talk to me..." she insisted, "Please."

Running his hand across his face in order to dry it, a ridiculous task since he was still crying, the Doctor sighed.

"You... you know that I've lost twice before..." he began but ended up trailing off.

"Is that what this is about? You think you're gonna lose me?" Clara quizzed, gripping his hand tighter, "That's never gonna 'appen... You can't get rid of me that easily."

The Doctor shook his head. "Oh Clara, it's never that simple." he explained, "Up until now, I thought it wouldn't happen, I wouldn't lose you again. After I found you in Dar... outside London, I promised myself I'd never let you go, and I haven't... but it won't last."

"Of course it will!" she exclaimed.

"But it won't..." he whispered, "I... I heard them talking, Bronwin and Dale..."

Clara frowned slightly. Was this the reason why he had been so distant over the past few weeks?

"They said I'm... I'm going to lose you..." he told her, before looking over at her once again, "And I can't... I can't lose you."

Clara immediately moved over to her husband, gripping the sides of his face while she straddled his legs.

"You won't!" she promised, "I'm not goin' anywhere. Remember that."

Gripping her lower back and pulling her closer to him, the Doctor buried his face in her neck. Clara gave him a moment before she brought him back to her eye line.

"Haven't ya ever thought that by _losin'_ me, it could 'ave meant by pushin' me away?" she asked in a whisper, "Because I'm gonna be honest with you, I can't take it much longer. I need you... but not like this."

Crashing his lips to hers, the Doctor gripped his hands throughout her hair before eventually pulling away.

"And I need you." he seconded.

Clara smiled lightly. "And even if you were to lose me..." she began.

"Don't say that." he pleaded.

"Just listen." she instructed, "I said _if_ you were to lose me, wouldn't it be better to live for now, not weep over somethin' that hasn't happened and waste all the time we do 'ave together?"

The Doctor nodded softly. "You're right, as per usual." he confirmed before looking around at the kitchen, and smelling the burning from oven behind his wife, "Would you look at us? What are we like, eh?"

Clara nodded slightly, looking at the pair of them knelt in the middle of the kitchen floor.

"Are we good?" he asked her as soon as she looked back at him.

Clara nodded once again. "Yes." she confirmed, "Just promise me one thing: From now on you'll talk to me, not hold everythin' in and pretend nothing's wrong."

The Doctor nodded before pecking her lips. "I promise." he answered.

Smiling, Clara more than gladly accepted his lips caressing hers again moments later. To have him sort of back was a major relief and to feel him next to her once again, it couldn't have been any better. After having three almost-broken hearts between them, it was good to know that they were all slowly healing. Time was what they needed now.

"Take me somewhere." she whispered after a moment.

Smirking against her lips, the Doctor looked over her shoulder, letting his eyes fall upon the cremated soufflé blackening in the oven.

"What about your soufflé?" he asked.

Clara shook her head. "Sod the soufflé. It's dead." she insisted, "But I do want to go somewhere. Don't get me wrong, the TARDIS is great, but after almost a month confined in it, I'm pretty fed up of seein' the same metal walls."

"You're the boss." he stated.

Clara pulled away slightly, smirking as she kept her hands firmly around his neck.

"Am I?" she questioned, her one eyebrow raised.

The Doctor nodded before tightening his grip around her back.

"Always." he confirmed, kissing her once again, "I love you."

"Really?" she queried, allowing her fingertips to dance across his lips, "Well, guess what? I love you too."


	34. Somewhere We Shouldn't Be

Chapter 34: Somewhere We Shouldn't Be

The Doctor had been an idiot, he knew that. Clara was right when she said that it was better to live in the moment rather than sulk over something that hadn't happened. After all, it was possible his interpretation of Bronwin and Dale's conversation was wrong. Maybe he wasn't going to lose her, perhaps he had completely misunderstood… he certainly hoped so.

To make up for the weeks of doing nothing, the Doctor had taken his wife to as many beautiful places he could, as long as they were safe. Once again they were back to full time travelling, but slower than before. He had never realised just how much Clara was struggling with the baby resting heavily on her spine, making her back almost impossible to deal with at certain times of the day, especially as her pregnancy advanced.

As Clara sat on the steps in the control room, watching her husband choose the destination for the day, she attempted to ignore the pain which was once again draining through her lower back. She couldn't deny it, the words which the Doctor had told her that Bronwin had said were still heavily on her mind. Part of her was pretty worried but more so for the Doctor rather than herself. She knew that if the Doctor were to lose her, it would more than likely kill him.

"Ready?" asked the Doctor, regaining her wandering attention.

Nodding and allowing him to assist her to her feet, Clara looked up at him.

"Where are we?" she queried.

Smiling instead of answering, the Doctor slowly guided her to the door.

"Come on." he whispered, making her lips begin to curl into a smile.

Opening the door and stepping out, or at the very least attempting to, Clara couldn't stop herself from sniggering as she came face-to-face with a large metal wall, inhibiting her from stepping out.

"Lovely spot." she commented, the sarcasm in her voice easily noticeable.

Peeking over her shoulder, the Doctor's eyebrow shot up.

"Ahh…" he breathed, "It's gone very downhill."

Laughing at him as he reached over her shoulder to close the door, Clara leant against the metal bar while the Doctor quickly moved the TARDIS, pretending he hadn't completely messed up their original destination, like usual...

Expecting a smooth journey, Clara didn't hold onto the rail all that tightly, something she deeply regretted a moment later when the TARDIS began to tremor violently before landing rather roughly a second later. When it came to a full stop, a very unimpressed Clara looked over at the Doctor.

"What… the hell… was that?!" she cried, forcing the words between her gritted teeth.

The Doctor's upper limbs began to flail, making Clara tighten her eyes which were glaring at him.

"Turbulence?" he suggested.

Clara eyes and lips tightened so much after that that the Doctor honestly wished some random anomaly would appear and swallow him up.

"Turbulence…?" she whispered, her voice beginning to increase as her anger broke through, "Turbulence?!"

The Doctor felt his teeth begin to bite into his lip.

"Space… turbulence…?" he proposed.

Rolling her eyes, Clara began to rub her stomach. "Whatever!" she shouted.

Slowly approaching his wife, the Doctor shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"I didn't plan it." he pointed out.

"You never do!" she snapped, "It's just…"

Clara trailed off when she watched her husband who was taking all of her words gracefully upon the head. Sighing and dropping her head in what she could only describe as shame, Clara could feel her eyes watering up. She was doing it again… taking out her frustration on the only person who she had let in the entire universe, the only one who she knew wouldn't take it to heart, but even that didn't make it acceptable.

"There I go again…" she whispered, signalling to the Doctor that it was now safe to approach.

Brushing lightly past her shoulder and wrapping his hands around her waist from behind, gently locking his fingers against her bump, the Doctor slowly kissed the side of her face, earning a soft moan from his wife, mostly since he'd forgiven her… again.

"What did that Nurse call it?" she tried to remember.

The Doctor shook his head slightly. "I don't know." he answered, "Does it matter?"

Clara shook her head. "Not really." she whispered.

She fell back onto the Doctor's strong frame as he released his arms from around her waist, slowly trailing up to her shoulders. Clara moaned as he began to expertly massage her shoulders, carefully avoiding her neck.

"God, that feels good…" she sighed.

The Doctor smiled softly. "You are so tense." he pointed out, kneading his hands along her shoulders.

Allowing the Doctor to continue for a few moments, Clara sighed.

"You know, I remember that reptile-lookin' woman at the 'ospital sayin' that by... _'bitterly attacking you partner verbally,'_" she began, imitating the woman's posh accent perfectly, "_Your child's relationship with you will by utterly destroyed for eternity'_… Stupid cow!"

The Doctor smirked at the memory of the check-up they had been to about a fortnight beforehand. The Doctor had never seen a pregnant woman move so quickly before, nor one run away so quickly. If anything, that day had taught him never to cross his wife while she was pregnant. God help anyone who even tried…

"Folk myth." stated the Doctor, "I think my favourite has to be from a race called the Magesterianks. They believe that if a child is delivered in the same place it's conceived, its IQ will be that of a God's."

Laughing slightly, Clara shook her head slightly. "Well, that definitely isn't happening with our daughter." she confirmed, "My bed's for sleeping, not giving birth."

Kissing her face once again, the Doctor smiled. "You ready to go?" he queried.

Nodding and taking his hand, Clara looked up at him. "Yep." she confirmed.

x-[]-x

Stepping out of the TARDIS, the sight which greeted Clara made a smile break out on her lips. The dusty street seemed to sparkle a deep bronze under the delicate sunlight while people, men and woman alike, dashed around in toga-type outfits.

Standing outside of the TARDIS, soon joined by the Doctor, Clara was carrying a very broad smile, one which was almost mirrored by her husband.

"Is this the promised Ancient Greece?" she queried, receiving a wink in response.

For much of their travels, especially over the past few weeks, Clara had mentioned on several occasions to go to that particular location, mostly because European History had always fascinated her as a child. Being able to see an ancient civilisation and walk down its street would have been any historian's biggest dream.

The pair of them began to walk down the street, ending up in the next square pretty quickly. Clara took her time when looking around, allowing her eyes to notice all the details around the busy market place.

"Doesn't look very Greek." she commented.

Turning to look up at her husband who had suddenly gone very quiet, she was rather puzzled to see him frowning, constantly visually examining the scene around them.

"What is it?" she asked.

He shook his head slightly. "This seems… familiar." he explained, "_Too familiar_."

"Is that a bad thing?" Clara asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "Suppose not." he stated, "Come on."

As they continued, the Doctor still couldn't shake the feeling that the entire place seemed oddly familiar. However, he just couldn't understand why.

"You know," Clara began, out of the blue, "This place don't 'alf remind me of Epcot."

That simple phrase in itself easily captured his attention, making him turn to face her.

"Epcot?" he laughed, "Um… why?"

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "Well, look at it." she ordered, "All these foreign objects… ancient objects… but eveythin's in English. I mean, I know it's 'cause of the TARDIS but, it just weird seein' it all in my own language."

The Doctor rolled his eyes; sighing slightly when he reminisced back to another Earth woman he remembered saying something about 'Epcot'… a very long time ago…

"Epcot…" he muttered, not looking where he was going and ultimately colliding with one of the market stalls.

Moaning as he hit his head, his muffled cries were lost under the laughing of both Clara and the stall owner.

After apologising and swiftly moving away, hoping his embarrassment being displayed as a deep blush wouldn't be seen, Clara just about managed to keep up.

"Stop laughing!" he exclaimed, rubbing his throbbing nose.

Covering her mouth, hoping she would, but seriously struggling, Clara shook her head.

"Oh, you stupid boy!" she laughed, closing the space between them and tip-toeing up in order to kiss nose, "I'm sorry."

Giving in as his trying-to-be-angry face wore away, the Doctor planted a quick kiss upon her lips.

"You're forgiven." he stated.

Scoffing slightly, Clara rolled her eyes. "You bet I am, Chin Boy!"

Linking arms, they continued to walk once again, the Doctor watching his step that time. However, Clara's words were making his mind wander. 'Stupid boy'… it wasn't that long ago when one particular woman had called him that, crying her eyes out as he 'lay dead' next to Lake Silencio…

Feeling Clara stop suddenly, the Doctor snapped out of his walk down memory lane, something she wasn't sure whether he was happy or sad about.

"Look, I am really sorry, Doctor." apologised Clara, "But there is no way this is Greece. If it is, the 'istory books are _really_ wrong."

The Doctor nodded slightly. "Yeah, you're right." he concurred, "It doesn't even _feel _like Greece."

Clara nodded softly. "So, where are we?" she quizzed.

The Doctor sighed. "Italy…" he replied, nodding slowly as he began to concur more with the location, "Yeah… Italy. We're in Rome."

"Ya sure this time?" teased Clara, a smirk forming on her lips.

The Doctor nodded adamantly. "Yeah." he answered, "Ancient Rome!"

Clara's eyes lip up. "Can we go see the Seven Hills?" he requested.

"Seven Hills of Rome?" the Doctor repeated, "Sure."

The Doctor laughed as his wife began to smile as wide as a child when off to the zoo. He was rather glad; he'd been awful toward her for much too long over the past few weeks.

Turning around the next corner, Clara's left eyebrow raised as she looked at the sight towering in front of her. It certainly wasn't what she had been expecting.

"Well, I see _one._" she stated, "Ain't there supposed to be seven…?"

Her words had barely left her mouth when they first heard it. Clara was startled by it, she couldn't lie, but it didn't particularly bother her, at first. However, when she saw the colour swiftly drain away from the Doctor's face, that's when she began to get a little scared.

It was a simple bell, probably one ringing in a nearby square, or so she thought. The only thing which made her think otherwise was by the way the Doctor had completely froze, his eyes wider than she had ever seen before.

"What is that?" she asked, hoping to break him out of whatever was happening in his mind.

"The cloister bell…" he whispered.

"The 'what'...?" she asked, her words being interrupted as he dashed off in a rather spectacularly fast run, abandoning her in the square.

Running about three steps after him, Clara had to stop when her daughter had decided that enough was enough. Turning back to look at the single hill, Clara's face fell into a deep frown, then fear when she saw a small line of smoke rise from the top, a line which became thicker and darker over the following seconds.

"Oh God…" she whispered.

Snapping her head around as the cloister bell suddenly ceased, Clara couldn't decide whether that was a good or bad thing. However, what was bad was what happened a moment later: the ground began to tremor.

Feeling her heart begin to hammer harder in her chest, Clara gulped as she watched the people around her actually laughing at the tremors which shook their homes and businesses alike.

Looking up at the single formation towering over the town, Clara bit her lip.

"That's a volcano …" she said to herself, her mind racing through her historical knowledge, "Oh my God…"

The tremors discontinued moments later, giving Clara ample time to spin around on her feet.

"Doctor!" she cried, shouting as loud as she could, after all, he couldn't be that far away… "Doctor!"

Quite a few people turned at Clara's call, all quite concerned since a woman so young seemed to be in distress.

"_Is she alright?"_ one asked.

"_She's calling for a Doctor!"_ another exclaimed.

"Doctor!" she called once again, her cries becoming louder every time.

By that point she was walking rather quickly in the direction of the TARDIS, deeply regretting it a moment later as her daughter just wasn't happy, and she was certainly letting Clara know that.

Stopping and leaning on a stone column for support, Clara caught the attention of a young woman stood at a nearby stall.

"Are you alright?" she asked, rather concerned since the woman was clearly with child.

Clara immediately got her strength back and looked over at the woman, well, not even a woman, a teenager.

"Why… wouldn't I be okay?" Clara asked delicately, not meaning in any way to come across as rude.

The young girl shook her head slightly. "You're…" she started, "You're calling for a doctor."

Clara smiled sympathetically, shaking her head. "Oh, no." she attempted to explain, "I don't want _a _Doctor. I need _the _Doctor… my husband."

"Oh, right." realised the girl, "But, you _are _okay?"

Clara wanted to nod, she wanted to smile and confirm to her everything was okay, but she didn't want to lie…

Looking back towards the volcano she could barely even see, Clara sighed.

"I'm as good as I can be." she promised.

The young girl nodded, probably assuming Clara was talking about her health in her current condition. After all, she probably had no idea about what that thing rumbling away even was. For all she probably knew, it was just a mountain… a _noisy mountain. _

Clara once again acknowledged the woman before continuing to walk towards the location of the TARDIS.

"Doctor!" she called once again.

It was then that she heard clattering behind her. Not startled but curious enough to turn around, Clara's jaw dropped when she saw a man approaching her, not that far in front of a woman in dark denim jeans and long-ish, almost paint-splattered top… Not very Ancient Rome…

"What…?!" she whispered, a gulp swallowing the rest of her words.

The man stopped not that far in front of her, frowning slightly when he caught her eye.

"No…" she whispered, her head shaking as she rubbed the side of her face, "No, not you."

"I'm sorry?" he attempted to confirm.

"Doctor…" she whispered, "No, Doctor… You shouldn't be here…"

"I'm sorry." he apologised, "But who are you?"

* * *

**Hey all**

**Extremely sorry for the longer wait. I had a 24 hour delay returning home from my holiday and then I began college on Tuesday so my times been pretty full.**

**I haven't had the time to do a complete spelling or grammar check but I'll get to it when I can x**

**Isn't the most impressive chapter ever but I'm looking forward to the ones after the next few... We're hitting the main climax soon. Everything _I Just Know Who_ and _Watch Us Run_ have led to are finally going to be revealed... Excited? ;)**

**Thanks a bunch to all you who have taken the time to review, favourite, follow, PM and just read. You're all the reason this has managed to continue for so long. Without you all, there would be no stories :)**

**Thank-you so much, xxxdolphinmelodyxxx**


	35. Ten

Chapter 35: Ten

Ten; that seemed to be the number of the day…

Ten; that was precisely the amount of times Clara's lip had bitten into thus far. Ten; that was probably the amount of seconds which had passed since the two all too familiar faces had appeared before Clara. Ten; that was undoubtedly the face of which Doctor stood before her, one who she definitely should not have been seeing…

Gulping as the man took one step closer, a man whose face was burnt deep into her mind, Clara couldn't help but step back, the further away the better. Its not that she wanted to keep away from him, in fact, part of her deeply wanted to get to know him better, but she wasn't stupid. She knew the danger of two Doctor's and two TARDIS' in the same place, the paradox would be unimaginable!

Clara was unsure where to begin, unsure what to say. She looked over at the two stood before her, the Doctor who wasn't _her _Doctor and the woman with fiery hair. She had absolutely no idea what to do. She couldn't run… not only due to her physical condition, but also she knew what the Doctor was like. If she ran, he'd follow…

Clara's attention then directed at the woman stood behind him, the one she remembered from the day the TARDIS was fractured into different time periods. The woman was Donna, the one with the attitude. If she remembered correctly, she had been designated 'Missy' by her… In fact, it was actually her who spoke first.

"Doctor?" she asked the man, the man who hadn't taken his eyes off Clara, "Who is she?"

The Doctor took another step closer, forcing Clara to take another step back, only to be halted as she hit a column connected to the building behind her.

"Hey, it's okay… its okay." the Doctor promised, putting his hands up slightly, "I'm not gonna hurt you…"

"I know…" whispered Clara, feeling like a frightened little girl, something she hadn't been in a long, long time.

Since her voice had been so quiet, Clara was pretty sure that he hadn't heard her.

"You called me, remember?" he reminded her before freezing slightly, "_You_ did call for me, right? It was _you_…?"

Clara didn't answer but without answering, she indirectly told him everything he needed to know.

Nodding slightly and taking another step forward, the Doctor smiled slightly.

"So it was you." he whispered, mostly to himself, "Who are you?"

Beginning to feel like he was getting too close, especially since a tremendous burn was beginning to circle around her stomach, her daughter's way of telling her to keep away, Clara dashed away from the wall, grateful to put some distance between them. Only then did she briefly look back over at him.

"Look, um… I 'ave to… I 'ave to go…" she stuttered, "I'm sorry."

Trying to get away before the conversation advanced any further, Clara began to move away. However, as her quick escape had concerned the present Doctor, he moved even closer to her, his hand literally millimetres away from her back.

During that moment, something Clara could only describe as an almighty burn flashed across her lower abdomen, causing her to cry out as she fell to the floor. The heat, the sting, the pain, it was all too much… and all too familiar.

The Doctor immediately went to help her, only for Clara to try to stop him, proving to herself that no matter how she felt, her mind was still very much alert.

"No, don't touch me!" she pleaded.

The Doctor immediately stopped, slowing crouching down to her level.

"I'm not going to hurt you." he promised once again.

Clara sighed, allowing her rather high pain barrier to block out the burning sensation, allowing the sensation to ease

"I know." she pointed out, "Just don't touch me... please."

"Okay." he promised, backing away slightly, "Okay, I will."

Clara had to admit it, she needed help. Being as far along as she was, getting off the floor wasn't the easiest task to perform on a daily basis, but being with a young, past version of her husband, one who her daughter certainly seemed to be reacting to in quite a crippling way, Clara couldn't take the chance of coming into any closer contact with him than she already was.

It was then that the ground began to tremor once again, capturing the Doctor's attention and allowing Clara the desired space as he rose to his feet and ran a little distance down the street.

Donna, who seemed rather baffled, looked keen to join the energetic Timelord but when her eyes met Clara's, Clara saw something which made her heart melt, an unending kindness, a kindness which seemed fitting with her soft, almost angelic features. It was almost as if she were a kind of Goddess-type woman, a woman who could help any living creature… It was too bizarre for Clara to even attempt to comprehend but the feelings she had were definitely real.

Donna slowly approached the young woman, a woman who seemed familiar but she couldn't understand why. Slowly bending down and assisting her off the floor, she received a very soft smile off her as she rubbed her rounded stomach.

"Are you alright?" Donna queried.

Clara nodded softly. "I'm fine." she answered, "Thank-you."

"I'm Donna." she introduced.

Clara nodded softly as a sign of acknowledgement. "Hello." she greeted.

Donna frowned slightly as she examined the woman's features.

"Why…?" she began hesitantly, "Why do I know you?"

Clara discretely bit her lip, unsure whether it may have been due to the memories of the day they had met before. She remembered that the Doctor had told her that 'sometimes it just happened', referring to remembering events which strictly never happened in the space-time continuum. Therefore, it may have been possible that Donna remembered her from that day. However, if that were true, surely the Doctor would have remembered too, right?

"Dunno." Clara responded, "Maybe I 'ave a very _friendly _face."

Donna laughed slightly along with Clara. "Maybe." she agreed, "But I'm sure I know ya from somewhere…"

Clara was attempting to think of a convincing lie when the Doctor, or rather Donna's Doctor, returned.

"Something isn't right." he began, "Ancient Rome should not have rumbling roads. I _know _Ancient Rome doesn't have rumbling roads. I've been to many places that have rumbling roads, well, I haven't but I can imagine, but the point still stands…"

Clara began to smile as the Doctor began to ramble. The definite difference between him and her Doctor was certainly the lack of flailing arms. She couldn't decide whether that was good or bad…

Donna, on the other hand, was somewhat annoyed, not at the fact he was rambling, as a matter of fact she did particularly enjoy that, but that he had just interrupted as she was trying to speak with the brown haired woman. Seriously, was this what she had let herself in for, deciding to travel with him?

"Okay Doctor." she interrupted, making him stop like a child who'd been cautioned by their mother, "Enough."

The Doctor pouted ever so slightly, amusing Clara more in the process.

"I'm just saying that rumbling roads shouldn't exist in Ancient Rome, well, New Rome by the Roman's standards." he recertified.

"Yeah, I get that bit, spaceman." she explained, "Because it's not like you 'aven't already said that like a million times."

Looking between the two of them who seemed to be glued to each other, Clara stole the opportunity and gradually stepped away from them. She was just about to turn when the Doctor snapped out of his discussion with Donna and raised his eyebrow at her attempt to sneak away.

"Oi!" he called after Clara, making her freeze and slowly turn back to look at them.

However, he hadn't noticed. Instead, his eyes had widened after the sound of his previous word and he had turned to face Donna, "Oh, I sound like you…"

"Oi!" Donna warned, Clara smirking.

"See?" the Doctor pointed out, "No… I'm getting sidetracked."

Turning back to Clara, he sighed. "You still haven't told me who you are." he pointed out.

Clara gulped, desperately hoping to find a way out of that specific conversation.

"No one special." she replied.

The Doctor shook his head, slowly approaching her.

Clara's stomach clenched slightly as the burn returned. Fighting back her initial thought to back off and start the entire routine of collapsing again, Clara brought herself to look up at him.

"Now, why don't I believe that?" he challenged.

Clara sighed. "It's your choice." she stated.

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked once again.

Clara shook her head, pulling her eyes away from his.

"Doctor, please…" she whispered.

"Why won't you tell me who you are?" he asked.

Clara shook her head once again. "I can't…"

Donna, who had been lost in her own little world, suddenly snapped out of it, her eyes widening by the second.

"His wife…" she whispered.

Clara's attention was immediately piqued, her eyes wide as she looked over at the read haired woman. The Doctor also turned around, his brow deeply burrowed into his face.

"What?" he queried.

Clara felt her heart begin to hammer in his chest as Donna's eyes met hers.

"His wife." she repeated, "That's what you said…"

The Doctor, deeply confused at that point, looked from Donna to Clara then back again.

"What?!" he cried, "You've met each other before? When?"

While the Doctor focused solely on Donna, he failed to see Clara shake her head at her, a silent plea for her to silence herself.

Donna understood and looked up at the Doctor momentarily before looking back at Clara.

"In… _my_ dream…" Donna explained slowly, "Sorry…"

Clara felt a massive weight lift from her shoulders as the Doctor's frown slowly eased.

"Look." she began, "I've really gotta go."

The Doctor looked back at her and nodded slightly. "If you must." he sighed.

Once again, the planet beneath them began to rumble, making Donna frown as she looked in the direction of the marketplace which the volcano looked over.

"What is that?" she asked.

The Doctor quickly looked at Donna before turning back to Clara. Upon seeing his face, she couldn't help but smile at the small hint of eagerness burning within his eyes. She for one was sure he was desperate to go and see what was happening.

"Go." she laughed quietly, "Ya know that's what ya wanna do."

The Doctor shook his head slightly. "What about you?" he queried.

Clara shook her head softly, laughing softly as she shrugged her shoulders.

"What about me?" she enquired, "You don't even know me… Ya don't even know who I am."

"No." agreed the Doctor, "But you know me… I'm a time traveller. You honestly think I don't know what that means…"

Clara sighed. "Exactly." she pointed out, "You know I 'ave to go…"

Nodding once again, the Doctor sighed. Smirking at him and allowing her eyebrows to momentarily shoot up, Clara honestly couldn't believe that even in her current situation, she was still attempting to tease the Doctor. She supposed some things never changed.

Allowing herself one more moment of staring into his gorgeous brown eyes, Clara's smile melted a little.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered.

His soft features immediately morphed into a harsh frown, mostly as he didn't understand.

"What for?" he queried.

Clara began to subconsciously stroke her arm as she spoke.

"Look, I know ya don't remember meetin' me… I don't even know if you will…" she began, remembering her brief encounter with him in her past, "But I'm sorry… for how I was with you. I, um…. I was 'avin' a bad day… I know its no excuse but I shouldn't… I shouldn't 'ave jumped to conclusions about ya."

The Doctor shook his head. "I have absolutely no idea what you're on about." he confessed.

Breaking out into a laugh, Clara nodded.

"I know." she agreed, "But I just need you to know that."

"Very well." he agreed, "Do you want… forgiveness, or something like that?"

Clara could tell by the smirk on his face he was teasing her and there was no way she was allowing to get away with that.

"It'd be nice." she commented, "But where's the fun in that?"

His laugh was interrupted by yet another tremor, that and Donna's call to get his attention.

Following Donna as she dashed off, Clara sighed at that particular Doctor disappeared from her sight. What she wouldn't have given for the chance to get to know him better. However, she supposed that then wasn't particularly a good time…

The Doctor, glad to finally have gotten control of his ship which had reacted badly to her past self being much too near to her original landing place, was hidden behind a market stall, watching his younger self pass with one particular woman who still make his heart shiver.

"Donna…" he whispered, catching a side glimpse of her face, "Sorry…"

"_Not an expert, but there's Seven Hills of Rome, aren't there? How come they've only got one?"_

Dashing away from the square, hoping to keep out of view of his younger self, something he knew he would fail since he remembered catching a glimpse of himself run away from all those years ago, the Doctor dashed down the street back to where Clara had been stood.

Just like she had when talking with his Tenth self, she was stood in the exact same place.

"Doctor…" she whispered upon seeing him once again.

Finding her way into his arms, she let out a massive sigh of relief. Finally…

Pulling away a moment later, she smiled up at him as he gripped both sides of her face.

"Where the 'ell did ya go?" she queried.

"I'll explain when we get back to the TARDIS." he promised.

"Doctor…?" she asked as he began to pull her along, "Doctor! Tell me… where are we?"

"Pompeii." he explained.

"_And it's volcano day…"_

* * *

**Hey all**

**Sorry for the gap in communications. I've recently started college so my workload has been substantial. I intend to update as soon as I can but for the 2/3 weeks, I can't guarantee regular updates.**

**I haven't had time to spell/grammar check this as of yet so please do keep that in mind.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy and I'll update when I can. Reviews appreciated almost as much as all of you who actually read it. I thank you all once again.**

**xxxdolphinmelodyxxx**


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